


Strawberries and Cigarettes

by ErinElizabeth



Series: Strawberries and Cigarettes Universe [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, but it doesn't last long, minor ziam, temporary elounor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:40:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 44,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24904714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinElizabeth/pseuds/ErinElizabeth
Summary: Long nights, daydreamsSugar and smoke rings, I've been a foolBut strawberries and cigarettes always taste like youLouis may not have much money, but he has pure athletic talent. When he is expelled from Westridge, an underfunded public school, and awarded a scholarship to play soccer at a prestigious boarding school, Grand Ridge Preparatory, his life changes drastically. Louis learns what it means to have real connections, and he finally finds the people who he couldn't live without.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Series: Strawberries and Cigarettes Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006065
Comments: 16
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first fic i've written solo in a long time, so please be kind! i would love to hear your thoughts, though, so feel free to comment! tpwk x
> 
> this fic is fully fictional, i just used the names as a way to tell a story. i’m not claiming in any way that this is reality.

# PART ONE - SOPHOMORE YEAR 

Louis leaned against the tree, a cigarette lazily hanging between his lips as he brought the lighter up, inhaling slowly as the flame touched the end. The familiar tight feeling in his chest was almost comforting. He took the cigarette away from his lips to exhale the smoke before tossing the lighter to his best friend, Noah, who was sitting against a stump of a tree that had been cut down four years before. Eleanor was sat beside the stream leading into the creek where she and Louis had experienced their first kiss three years ago, her feet settling just above the too-cold water. Why the three teenagers chose to spend the cold December day in the middle of the woods was beyond them. 

“So you’re really leaving, man?” Noah asked, but not before he lit his own cigarette, tossing Louis’ lighter back to him. 

Louis pulled out the brochure for Grand Ridge Preparatory that he had previously stuffed into his back pocket. “Looks like it,” he said, pure annoyance leaking through his voice. 

Eleanor stood up from where she had been sitting in silence to look at the brochure her boyfriend was holding. “Lou, how is your mom affording this?” she asked, gently. She hadn’t said much since Louis had dropped the news on them. --But what could you say when your boyfriend, the boy you’re expected to one day start a real life with, seems to be disappearing into thin air. 

“They had an opening for a soccer scholarship,” he said, flatly. “I guess the chance to get rid of me was planted by the universe itself,” he said, a humorless laugh accompanying his words. 

“So you’ll be playing against us?” Noah cut in, turning his head slightly towards Louis, taking another long drag from the cigarette, exhaling the smoke into the fresh air. 

“Trust me, man, I’d rather be at Westridge. --I’ll be stuck playing with a bunch of stuck-up rich kids for the next three years. It’s not exactly my idea of a good time,” Louis said, rolling his eyes. They fell into silence, Louis throwing his arm around Eleanor as he took another long drag of his cigarette. “Plus I won’t have you guys,” Louis pointed out as he exhaled the smoke. “I’ll still be around constantly, though,” he added quickly, understanding how Eleanor must have felt. 

“All of this over a little bit of writing on a locker. Like come on, how uptight can they be?” Noah said, rolling his eyes, throwing his now-useless cigarette on the dead grass beneath their feet and stomping it out. “Can’t believe they’re kicking you out for that,” he said.

“I don’t know man,” Louis said, his body tensing up slightly. “Guess I made them mad one too many times,” he said, words leaving his mouth too quickly. 

Neither Noah or Eleanor noticed how his tone sped up, or how his shoulders tensed. Neither paid close enough attention to notice a change at all. 

“How did you even get into the school, Lou?” Eleanor asked, shaking her head. She reached into Louis’ back pocket, grabbing his pack of cigarettes and the lighter, taking one out for herself and lighting it. 

“Stole Luke’s keys,” Louis admitted. Technically it wasn’t stealing. Luke had told the young boy where he kept his spare keys just in case there was anything in his office that Louis needed and he wasn’t around. Technically he was just using the knowledge to his advantage. Louis was sure that his soccer coach didn’t expect him to use the keys at three in the morning to vandalize the hallways, but that was irrelevant. 

“Can’t believe you. You’re such a fucking idiot,” Noah said, but he was laughing. 

“Let’s get out of here, it’s freezing,” Eleanor said, throwing Louis’ arm off of her shoulder and tossing her half finished cigarette on the ground. She started walking towards the pathway leading away from the clearing, and Louis and Noah were quick to follow behind. 

“Wait up, El!” Louis called from behind her, but she was walking quickly. When he finally caught up with her, he could see there were tears in her eyes. He turned to Noah, giving him a pointed look. “N, go ahead, we’ll catch up in a few,” Louis said. Noah took one look at Eleanor and nodded, walking at a fast pace along the pathway to give the two some room. 

“What’s going on, babe?” Louis asked, softly. “Is it --is it about me transferring? It’s not that far, El. We’ll still see each other constantly, and even if we can’t see each other every day, facetime exists for a reason,” he said with a sad smile. 

“I know it’s stupid, Louis. It’s just that you and I haven’t been apart since, like, kindergarten. It’s just gonna suck not having you there, she said, grabbing his hand. 

Louis nodded in agreement. “It will. But we’ll make it through this, El. I promise,” Louis said, leaning in and giving her a short kiss. “Now let’s catch up to Noah before he gets lost on his way back to the house. He’s been there a billion times but he’s so directionally challenged I think he might end up on the wrong side of town,” Louis said, trying to make Eleanor smile. It worked, Louis decided, when he saw the corners of Eleanor’s mouth twitch upward. 

The two quickly met up with Noah, and all of three of them started the lengthy walk back to the part of town where they all lived. Louis parted ways with the two when he got to his own street, saying goodbye quickly. He gave Noah a fist bump and Eleanor a quick kiss, but the cold wind made him anxious to get indoors, even if things at home hadn’t been the best as of late. 

As soon as Louis walked in the front door, he pushed past his sisters and mother to get to the staircase leading up to his room. “Louis, dinner is almost ready if you want to join us tonight,” his mother called after him, but Louis ignored her. He quickly ran up the staircase, taking two at a time until he got to the top. He entered his room, slamming his door behind him. 

Louis reached under his bed and pulled out the half empty bottle of liquor he had hidden there earlier. He unscrewed the cap effortlessly and took a long drink. Recently, it was easier to deal with his life when the effects of too much alcohol were lingering over him. 

When his mother called him down again, telling him dinner was ready and to come down if he was hungry, he ignored her. Instead, he sat there, just him and his bottle to keep him company. That’s how Louis fell asleep, still in clothes that smelled too smoky, hugging the significantly less full bottle of liquor close to his chest. 

Louis woke up the next morning to his mother staring down at him, disappointment clear in her eyes. “Louis, you can’t keep doing this, sweetie,” she said, shaking her head. “Think of the girls, Lou. They’re scared of you. They’re absolutely terrified of the person you’ve become. It’s like they don’t even recognize you anymore, Louis,” she said, giving him a sad look. “Please try. For them. I’m begging you.” 

Louis blinked a few times, trying to adjust his eyes to the light that was shining in through his window. “Oh, and Louis,” his mom spoke, looking straight at him. “Happy birthday, sweetheart,” she said, almost sadly. 

It was December 24th. Louis was officially 16. 

His mother was just about to leave his room when Louis called out to her. “Mom, wait. Is it… Is it still alright if Eleanor comes over for dinner tonight? Since it’s my birthday and all that,” he said, almost shyly. 

His mother nodded. “Of course, Lou. You know how much we love El. She’s always welcome here,” she said, giving him a small smile. 

“Yeah, thanks, mom,” Louis said, nodding slightly as he pulled out his phone. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, straightening it slightly but not doing much, as he opened facetime and clicked Eleanor’s name. 

“Hey, Lou,” she answered after the third ring, giving him a smile. She must have been awake for a while, because she was much more put together than Louis. Her hair was straightened, her makeup done. 

“Hey,” Louis answered. “I talked to my mom, and if you’re still free for dinner tonight, you can come by. It’s nothing too special because the girls will be too excited for Christmas tomorrow, but— it’s just, I want to spend my birthday with you.” 

“Of course I’ll be there, Louis,” Eleanor said. “I’ve got to go wrap some last minute presents, but I’ll see you tonight, alright? Love you,” she said, blowing him a kiss. 

“Yeah, you too,” Louis replied, waving before he ended the call. 

Louis stretched as soon as he ending the call, throwing the blanket off of his lap as he thought about what his mother said. It was true, of course. He had been drinking and smoking more and more, especially since his meeting with the Westridge principal. He knew it wasn’t fair for them to have to deal with Louis’ choices. 

So that day, he decided, he would try. For them. 

Louis quickly stood up from his bed, grabbed some warm clothes before quickly changing into them. He didn’t worry about fixing his hair yet —it was just going to get wet and messy anyways— as he walked out of his bedroom and towards the living room where he knew the girls would already be. 

“Come on, what are you girls doing sitting around the TV?” Louis asked, rolling his eyes, a smile on his face. “Mother nature blessed us with a fresh snowfall on Christmas Eve and you aren’t gonna take advantage?” Louis asked, looking between each of his sisters. “Come on, come on. Go get your coats, we’re not missing out,” he added. 

As soon as his sisters ran out of the room, Louis made eye contact with his mom. “Thank you, Lou,” she said, quietly enough that only Louis would be able to hear. Louis just sighed in response, nodding his head. 

As soon as his sisters came running out, coats buttoned, mittens on their hands, and hats pulled over their ears, Louis pulled his own winter coat on and led the girls outside. It was beautiful, even Louis had to admit. Between the uneven lights hanging from the roof and the previously untouched snow now littered with small footprints, it looked like something out of a Christmas movie. It was imperfectly perfect. 

Louis spent the next few hours, the most genuine smile he’s had in weeks permanently stuck on his face. They had a snowball fight, they made three snowmen ( and one snowwoman, as requested by the twins ), and they created a family of snow angels. Maybe this wasn’t the worst way for Louis to spend his birthday. 

When the snow had started to soak through their clothes and the cold wind had successfully turned their ears pink, Louis ushered them inside. Louis was already shaking off his coat and heading towards the stairs when his mother addressed him, “If you wanna stick around for a minute I’m going to make everyone some hot chocolate,” she said, keeping her tone light. 

“I should actually go take a shower and get ready. El is going to be here before too long,” he explained, bringing up his hand to rub the back of his neck. They both knew his words were a lie. Eleanor wouldn’t be there for another two and a half hours. They both knew the real reason why Louis wouldn’t stick around was because of the tense energy that had become a constant in the Tomlinson household over the last few weeks. 

Before his mother could respond, Louis rushed up the stairs and slammed his door shut. He threw his coat on the chair he had in the corner of his room, the piece of furniture already piled up so high with clothes that it was a wonder the heavy winter coat stayed in place. Louis plopped down on his back onto the small bed, closing his eyes as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

Louis didn’t even realize that he had fallen asleep until he heard a gentle knock and his door opening. Louis sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and stretching his arms. “What time is it?” he asked through a yawn. 

“It’s about 6:15 now, Lou,” Eleanor said with a short laugh. “How long have you been sleeping up here? Your sisters told me all about how much fun they had with you this afternoon.” 

“I came up here about two hours ago, guess I didn’t get as much sleep as I thought,” he said, standing up and walking towards Eleanor to give her a short kiss. 

“Well, now that you’ve had your beauty sleep, come on,” she teased. “Your mom said dinner is about ready,” Eleanor told him, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the open door. 

Louis just gave her a lazy smile in return, following his girlfriend down the staircase. Maybe things weren’t so bad afterall. 

They had made it about halfway through dinner before things became tense. To be fair, Louis was shocked it had taken this long. He had been avoiding his mother ever since their meeting with the principal of Westridge, the meeting where Louis found out he had been expelled. 

“So, Eleanor, are you excited for classes to start back up?” Louis’ mother asked, a smile on her face. His mother’s eyes always lit up when Eleanor was around, it was obvious that she absolutely adored the girl. 

“Yeah, I am, really. Some of the electives I’m taking this semester seem pretty interesting,” Eleanor answered. 

“See, Lou, I wish you would be so excited about school. Grand Ridge is going to be such a great--” Louis’ mother began to speak, but Louis cut her off. 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. A private boarding school is such a great opportunity. I’ve only heard the speech about a hundred times,” he interrupted, rolling his eyes. 

“Louis,” his mother began with a sigh, “you know that’s not what I meant. All I’m saying is it might be good for you. Their soccer team is pretty impressive, too. I think you’re going to enjoy it,” she said, shaking her head. 

Louis rolled his eyes, pushing his chair back from the table quickly. The loud squeak of the legs of the chair scraping the floor only sounded louder over the silence that had erupted over the table. “If you don’t mind, I’m not really that hungry,” Louis said, walking towards the stairs without waiting for an answer. No one remaining at the table reacted when they heard the loud slam of the door coming from the upper level of the house. 

The rest of the night was spent smoking out of the open window as he ignored the knocks and pleading to be let in coming from the other side of his locked door. As the voices and knocks began to fade away, Louis sighed quietly, taking another drag of his cigarette. Everything was changing. He had been kicked out of school, he was being forced to leave his home to live at a prestigious boarding school for the next two and a half years, and he was leaving his girlfriend and friends behind. Everything was changing, and Louis couldn’t help but think, would it only get worse from here? 

Louis fell asleep that night with those thoughts actively running through his head. Happy birthday to me. 

It was a few days later when Louis was sitting in the passenger side of his mother’s car, having to actively stop himself from bringing out his cigarettes and lighter. He craved the feeling of heat in his lungs, and controlling the urge was becoming more and more difficult the longer the silence went on. 

To distract himself, Louis stared out of the window the entire drive, watching as the road twisted between trees and fields. When they finally arrived at the Grand Ridge Preparatory’s campus, both Louis and his mother were shocked. They knew that the school was wildly expensive, and they knew that most of the students who attended had big money. But neither of them expected what they saw. 

“Please state your name and reason for visit,” a voice spoke through a speaker as Louis’ mother came to a stop outside of a large gate, rolling down her window. 

“Johannah Deakin, and I’m here with my son Louis Tomlinson. We have a meeting with the dean set up for today,” she answered. “Louis has received the open soccer scholarship,” she added. 

“Okay, you’re free to come through. The main office is straight ahead, the first parking lot you see when you come through. Please enter through the main entrance,” said the voice through the speaker. As if on cue, the gates opened allowing them through. The scene that laid before them was something that seemed to be out of a movie. It was all large buildings, beautiful fountains placed all around campus, tall green trees supplying plenty of shade over the well kept lawn. Passed the large gates, even Louis had to admit, the campus was breathtaking.

Louis sighed deeply as his mother pulled into the parking lot right in front of a large brick building. “Let’s get this over with,” he said, throwing open the passenger side door. As soon as they entered, an older man with white hair and a middle-aged woman with long blonde hair were standing in the room. “Ah, hello. Welcome to Grand Ridge Preparatory,” the man said. “I’m Johnathon Greenwood, the dean here at the school. It’s so nice to meet you both,” he added, shaking both of their hands. “Why don’t we go back to my office so we can talk a little bit about the school and Louis’ scholarship requirements?” the man recommended. 

Louis and his mother followed the man through the long hallway until they came to the last door. He opened it, allowing the two to enter before himself. Louis took a set at the large green chair that was sitting in front of the desk, his mother taking the identical one beside it. Dean Greenwood walked around to the other side of the desk, sitting in a large black chair. He gathered a stack of papers, handing them to Louis. “You don’t have to read that all right now, I know it’s a lot,” the dean said with a friendly laugh. “--But you will be expected to have an understanding of the student guidebook as well as your scholarship guidelines at a reasonable time,” he explained. 

Louis stayed silent, his eyes trained on the dark wooden desk. “We’re excited to have you here, Louis. I’ve been made aware of some of your behavioral issues at your previous school, but after speaking to your former soccer coach, I really think Grand Ridge will be good for you. Not only academically and athletically, but personally as well. He said that you’re a good kid, you just need some guidance. --And that’s something we can offer you here, Louis,” Dean Greenwood said, a friendly smile on his face. 

“Luke said that?” Louis asked, looking up for the first time. 

“He really spoke highly of you, Louis. In complete transparency, he played a very large role in your receiving of the scholarship,” Dean Greenwood admitted. 

Louis just nodded, leaning back in the seat. The meeting went on for another ten minutes before Louis was actively addressed again. “Well, Lou?” his mother asked, dragging him out of his daydreams. 

“I --I’m sorry, can you repeat what you said,” he said, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck. “I must have nodded off for a minute,” he said, letting out a laugh that didn’t reach his eyes. 

“Oh, that’s alright. I understand these kinds of things can be a bit boring for the young ones,” the dean said, a deep laugh coming from his mouth. “I just said, if you don’t have any questions, we could start to wrap this little meeting up. I have a few boys, Mr. Payne and Mr. Malik, who have offered to give you a tour of the facilities. They’re both in the Sophomore class, like yourself, and both are on the soccer team. And if I recall correctly, you’re set to board with Mr. Malik,” he said. “They’re both good boys,” he added to Louis’ mother. “Very close friends, both are doing well in classes. Mr. Payne is topping the Sophomore class currently,” he said. 

“I don’t have any questions,” Louis answered. 

“Okay, then I’ll just have my assistant call them in. They shouldn’t be too long, I believe they were planning on waiting around the soccer pitch, just to the east of the English building,” he said, although that didn’t really give Louis any input of their timing. For all he knew, that could be on the completely opposite side of the campus. 

It didn’t take long for them to arrive, though, the two boys greeting Louis and his mother with welcoming smiles. One of the boys, who introduced himself as Liam, held his hand out for Louis and his mother to shake. “Welcome to Grand Ridge, it’s nice to meet the both of you,” he said. 

After exchanging introductions and pleasantries, the tour started. Louis’ mother stayed behind to sign some more paperwork, promising to meet back up after the tour had ended. 

As soon as they walked away from the main building, the two boys’ shoulders dropped and their entire energy changed. They seemed calmer, much more like normal teenage boys than the two who Louis had been introduced to. “So you’re playing soccer, yeah?” one of the boys, Zayn (?), asked, giving him a glance. 

“Yeah, I --” Louis paused. Maybe they didn’t know he was on scholarship. As far as they knew, he was just another privileged rich kid transferring midway through the year. “Yeah, I played at my old school,” he answered. 

“Were you any good?” he asked, giving him a sideways smile, making it obvious that he was only joking. 

“Better than you lot, I’m sure,” Louis replied, his lips turning into a smirk. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” the other boy, Liam, jumped in. “We’re pretty talented,” he said, raising an eyebrow. 

“Ah, yes, you might be. --But you haven’t seen Tommo on the field,” Louis said, laughing at the way he referred to himself in third person. 

After that, the three boys fell into easy conversation as the tour went on. As much as Louis hated to admit it, by the end of the tour, talking to Zayn and Liam almost seemed easier than talking to Noah. 

By the time they ended up outside of the large brick building they had started at, they were laughing like old friends. “So you’re moving into tomorrow, yeah?” Zayn asked, stopping in front of where Louis’ mother was waiting for him. 

“That’s the plan, yeah,” he answered. “What are you two doing here anyways? I thought the term didn’t start for another four days,” Louis pointed out, as if he had just realized. 

“Our families spend holidays together a lot, and we got back pretty early. It was easier just to come back to campus, gave us the opportunity to get out on the pitch and get some extra practice in, too” Liam answered, truthfully. 

They talked for a few moments longer before they went their separate ways. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Tommo. Li will probably come by and help you move in if you want,” Zayn offered, Liam nodding beside him. 

“That’d be great, yeah. I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Louis said, waving back as he started towards his mother’s car. 

“So, Lou, what do you think?” 

Louis only shrugged in response, but he couldn’t help but smile to himself. Maybe the next few years wouldn’t be as bad as he thought.


	2. Chapter Two

Louis was relying on approximately two hours of sleep and multiple shots of espresso to get him through the upcoming day. The previous night had taken a toll on him. He had come home from Grand Ridge simply exhausted. Between the long ride, both there and back, not to mention the thought hanging in the back of his head that he would have to make the ride again the following day, the overwhelming tour, and hearing the words Luke spoke about him in his brain on repeat, Louis was wiped. 

Despite being on the edge of exhaustion, though, Louis couldn’t sleep. He spent the night tossing and turning. One minute he was too hot, the next he was freezing. He would finally get into a comfortable position but then his arm would fall asleep and he would spend the next five minutes trying to find a new way to lay. By the time morning light began shining through Louis’ window, he was already wide awake, staring up at the ceiling of his room. He stayed there as long as he could, counting down his last few hours of freedom. Although Louis was more comfortable with the idea of Grand Ridge after meeting Zayn and Liam, he still wasn’t ready. 

He groaned as soon as he heard a loud knock coming from the other side of his bedroom door. “Lou, it’s time to get up. We have to leave soon,” he heard his mother call. 

Louis stayed in the position he was in for another five minutes before finally rolling out of bed and dragging himself to the bathroom so he could take a quick shower. He turned on the water, carefully adjusting the temperature so as to not let it rise too high in hopes that the coolness would shock his body into waking up.

Thankfully, the plan worked. The cold water was enough to raise Louis’ alertness enough for him to keep his eyes open as he walked down the stairs, tugging two suitcases behind him. “These are fucking heavy,” he mumbled under his breath, hoping his sisters’ or mother were not waiting for him at the bottom of the staircase. Luckily, neither one of them had heard the words that slipped from his mouth, or they just didn’t mention it. 

As soon as Louis stepped off the final stair, he was attacked from both sides, each twin grabbing a leg. “We’re gonna miss you, Lou,” one of the young girls said, tears in her eyes. “Do you have to go?” 

Louis’ heart broke. Out of everything he was leaving behind, he knew that he would miss his younger siblings more than any of it. “I’m sorry, girls,” Louis said, giving them a genuine frown. “But I’ll come home and visit as much as I can, and I’ll be calling so much you’ll be sick of me before the next break,” he said, giving them what he hoped was an encouraging smile. It seemed to work, because both broke away, wiping the tears from their eyes. 

“Lou, we’ve got to go get your stuff in the car,” Louis’ mother said. “Your grandma will be pulling in any time to watch the girls while we’re gone, and we should really be leaving as soon as she gets here,” she added, looking almost apologetic. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You’re right,” Louis mumbled, turning away from her. He hated that neither of them knew how to talk to the other anymore. Before the beginning of the year, before Louis had started argument after argument, they had told each other everything. Louis had been closer to his mother than what most sons were. But he had ruined it. 

His mother just sighed at his response, shaking her head. “Come on, Louis, let’s go,” she said, grabbing one of the massive suitcases and pulling it out the door. Louis followed in complete silence. While they were carrying his suitcases to the car, Louis’ grandmother pulled up. So as soon as the cars were loaded and goodbyes were said, they were off. 

The ride to Grand Ridge was undoubtedly long. What made it even longer was the complete silence in the car. Neither mother or son wanted to be the first to speak, and even if one of them did, neither knew what to talk about. Louis had never heard a silence so loud. 

By the time they finally got to Grand Ridge Preparatory, Louis was anxious to get out of the car. His mother had barely come to a complete stop outside of the dorms before he was unbuckling his seatbelt and throwing open the passenger side door. He went straight to the trunk to pull out his suitcase, informing his mother that he would be fine to go in alone. “Zayn will be there, and Liam said he’d come by to help me unpack. I’ll be fine,” Louis said, quickly, stopping his mother from following him. He’d dealt with enough awkward silence over the course of the car ride. 

“Oh, okay. That’s very helpful of them,” Louis’ mom said, nodding her head, but she had a sad look on her face. If Louis didn’t know better, he might even think she was hurt. “I love you, Lou. I really hope you like it here. Call anytime, okay?” 

“Yeah, okay,” Louis mumbled, struggling to get his suitcase out. He sighed quietly before speaking, “I love you too, mom. I’ll call later if I get the chance,” he said. They both knew it wasn’t true, that he would make sure he couldn’t find the chance. But he was trying. Before she had the chance to say anything else, Louis quickly got ahold of the suitcases and started towards the dorms. 

Once Louis was safely inside the boarding hall, he leaned against the door taking a deep breath, taking a moment to clear his mind. Once he let his thoughts slow down, he reorganized the bags he was carrying before heading in the direction of his dorm. Before long, Louis found himself standing outside of door 280. He hesitated for a moment. --He had a key, but should he knock? Or should he just go in? It was his room too, afterall. 

Louis shook the thoughts out of his mind and swiped the badge to unlock the door, entering the room. It seemed empty at first; the lights were all turned off, and the only source of noise was a tabletop fan on the lowest setting. Before he had time to take in his surroundings, though, he caught a subtle movement in the corner of his eye, and Zayn was sitting up in his bed. 

“Oh, Louis, hey. I wasn’t sure what time you would be here, or else I would have tried to make it look a little more normal in here,” he said, standing up to turn on the lights. 

“Nah, don’t worry about it, it’s all good,” Louis said in response. He quickly pulled his suitcases in the rest of the way, closing the door behind him. 

“Liam should be here soon, I’ll shoot him a text and let him know that you’re here. He’s kind of obsessed with you, though, just a warning,” the boy said with a laugh. It was obvious to Louis that he was only teasing, which was a nice change of pace. With Noah, of course they had fun, but their idea of fun wasn’t jokes and teasing. It was smoking cigarettes or hiding in the woods drinking until three in the morning. 

“As he should be, I’m just too great not to love,” Louis said, a smirk on his face. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Payno that you let his deep dark secret slip,” he said, a grin on his face. 

“Payno?” Zayn asked, an amused smile as he lifted an eyebrow. 

“Sounds better than just ‘Liam’,” Louis said, a laugh escaping him as he shrugged his shoulders. 

Zayn just shook his head, but Louis could tell the amusement was still there. Before long, Liam arrived, not even bothering to knock on the door. “Oh, yeah, forgot to warn you. This one has a copy of the keycard. --A couple of other guys do, too. Don’t worry though, they won’t mess with your shit or anything. They might be dicks, but only a little,” he said. 

The three boys got to work unpacking Louis’ bags, talking as they worked. “So what made you so lucky to get a single room, Zayn?” Louis asked, pulling out a couple of shirts and throwing them in the closet. “And what made you so unlucky to have to share halfway through the year?” he added. 

“Wasn’t that lucky to have a single, actually. The last guy I shared with was here on scholarship, wasn’t keeping his grades high enough. Apparently the scholarship guidelines here are pretty harsh,” Zayn explained. “So at the end of the semester they kicked him out, had him packing his bags. He was alright, I guess. Quiet, didn’t really talk much,” Zayn said with a shrug. “But Greenwood told me that I’d probably be getting a new roommate with the mid-year transfers, so I wasn’t too shocked when he called and told me about you,” Zayn said. 

Louis stopped for a moment when Zayn mentioned the scholarship guidelines. He would really need to start looking at that information before long. “Ah, so you knew about me before I knew about you,” Louis said, trying his best to seem like he wasn’t bothered. “What did good ‘ol Dean Greenwood have to say about me?” he asked. He was panicking, just slightly. Surely the dean wouldn’t have mentioned he would be attending the school on scholarship. But then again, why wouldn’t he? It wasn’t like it was some huge secret. Louis would just rather it stay quiet. 

“Just that there was a new kid starting for second semester. Said that you were in my class and that you played soccer at your old school. Told me you were a pretty damn good player and that you’d already been offered a spot on the team,” Zayn answered, only half paying attention as he shoved some jackets into the closet. 

“So only good things is what I’m getting from this,” Louis said, suddenly more calm. “As he should. I mean, there’s not too much negative you could say about me,” he said, a smirk on his face. The boys went back to switching between random topics as they continued to unpack the overfilled suitcases. 

“Ah, shit, Z. Practice starts in five minutes,” Liam said, quickly standing up, dropping what he was holding back into the suitcase. 

“Practice?” Louis asked, following them quickly, already grabbing his cleats. “Term doesn’t even start for a few more days. I thought a lot of people weren’t around yet?” Louis said, speeding up his pace. 

“It’s not, like, a real practice, but Ethan still expects everyone who’s on campus to be there,” Zayn explained. To Louis, though, the explanation made absolutely no sense. 

“Ethan?” Louis asked, keeping up easily with Zayn and Liam as they walked to the soccer pitch. “I feel like you guys are leaving me out of a lot of vital information. Are we forgetting I’m the new guy here?” Louis asked, only half joking. 

“He’s the Senior captain. He’s a bit of a dick, but once you learn to deal with him you’re fine,” Liam answered. “He runs practices when Coach isn’t around, so he’ll be in charge today,” he added. Before long, the field was coming into view, and there were already four other boys standing on the perfectly green grass. 

“Now that everyone is here,” a boy who Louis could only assume was Ethan began, “we can go ahead and start. Today, we’ll mainly be doing scrimmage matches,” he explained. “I just want to see how we’re all shaping up, and what better way to do that than playing the game?” The boys all ran into their positions, and Ethan came up to Louis before they began. “Tomlinson, right? Coach told me there’d be a new one here today. Try not to be too hard on yourself if you aren’t up to par quite yet,” he said, not giving Louis a chance to reply before running off.

Despite Ethan’s words, Louis was playing at the top of his game. At some point, training and practice isn’t enough anymore. At some point, you have to rely on natural athletic abilities, which is something that Louis was proud to say he had. Not only had he scored three goals, he was also able to claim two assists. It was going perfectly until he caught Ethan’s attention. “Tomlinson,” the captain spoke, calling him over. “You call that defense? My grandmother could score on you,” he said, rolling his eyes. 

“Oh yeah? Do you wanna come and put your pride where your mouth is?” Louis quipped, raising an eyebrow. Zayn shot him a glance, one so clear that if glances could speak, Louis knew it would be yelling ‘bad idea.’ 

“Oh, so you’re challenging me?” Ethan asked, a laugh escaping his mouth. “It’s your funeral, new kid,” he said, throwing the clipboard he was holding on the bench and tapping out one of the opposing team’s players. 

Ethan was good. There was no denying that the Senior had been training hard, and he was easily the most talented player on his team. But Louis was smaller. Louis was faster. He had his advantages, and he knew how to use them. By the time the match was coming to a close, anyone watching would realize it was basically a one on one between Ethan and Louis. The timer was running down quickly, and the two teams were tied on points, Ethan having the possession of the ball. He was going in for the final score when Louis snuck in, using his size to his advantage, to steal. Ethan was fast, but Louis was faster. As he ran down the field, passing the ball back and forth with his teammates, he knew he was going to win. After receiving one last pass, Louis took his shot, aiming for the goal and scored, Liam claimed the assist. Their team had won. Louis had won. 

As practice was coming to a close all of the boys were heading to the locker rooms, Ethan came up behind Louis clapping him on the shoulder. “Nice work out there today, Tomlinson. If you play like that on a regular basis, you could really be a good addition to our team,” he said, giving Louis a nod as he ran off ahead of him to catch up with his friends. 

“Can’t believe you did that, Louis,” Liam said, giving him a look halfway between concern and pride. “If you would have lost that game Ethan would have given you absolute hell for it,” he said, shaking his head. 

“But I didn’t lose, did I?” Louis said, a smirk on his face. The two boys laughed, shaking their heads in disbelief. They quickly went to the locker rooms, and after they had showered and changed into clean clothes, they began the short walk back to Zayn and Louis’ shared room.

As they were walking down the paved pathway leading away from the soccer pitch and towards the dorms, Zayn’s phone buzzed with a notification. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket, reading the words on the screen as they walked. He rolled his eyes, but he had a large smile on his face as he began to speak to Liam. “Haz and Niall are back,” he explained. “The assholes had their parents drop them off at the lake and waited it out until practice was nearly over so that they could get out of it,” he said, an amused smile on his face. “They’re waiting in the room,” he added. 

“And who are these mystery assholes who are currently waiting in our room?” Louis asked, curiosity getting the better of him. 

“Harry Styles and Niall Horan,” Liam explained. “They’re in our grade, and they’re on the team with us, too actually. Z and I, we’ve known them since we were practically babies. Our parents ran around with the same crowd in school, so they would always set up playdates for us. Didn’t want to take the chances of us growing up to hate each other, I guess, so we basically had an arranged friendship,” he said, but Louis could tell there was no bad blood. It was obvious by the goofy grin on Liam’s face that he had nothing but positive feelings towards the boys in question. 

“They can definitely be a lot to handle, but they’re both really good guys,” Zayn added, glancing at Louis. “They hang around a lot, but it’s hard not to love them. They’re asses, but we love them despite that,” he said, a smile on his face. 

As they walked, the topic of conversation changed at least three other times. The final topic of conversation being the previous soccer season, and how they had lost in overtime in the championship game. By the time Zayn, Liam, and Louis arrived back at the dorms, Louis was anxious to meet the two boys that would be waiting there. 

They walked down the long hallway, stopping in front of room 280. Zayn pulled out his keycard, swiping it against the reader until they heard a soft click as the door unlocked. As soon as the door opened, the three boys were greeted with a shit eating grin. “How was practice?” asked the boy who was lounging on Louis’ bed. 

Liam dropped his duffle bag off right beside the door, not even flinching at the loud voice. Zayn threw his own bag on his bed, walking over and shoving the boy off of Louis’ bed. “Oh fuck off, Niall,” he said, but he had a smile on his face. 

At the same time, Niall said “Oh come on, man, I was comfortable,” from the floor. 

“Well it’s not your bed, now is it?” Louis quipped, but there was a joking tone in his voice as he plopped down on the bed himself. 

“This is Tommo, by the way --Louis Tomlinson,” he said. “Louis, this is Niall Horan,” he said, gesturing towards where the blonde boy was sitting up on the ground beside Louis’ bed, “and Harry Styles,” he said, nodding towards the curly headed boy who was sitting at the desk chair on the opposite side of the room. 

Harry had been so quiet, or maybe Niall had just been so loud, since they walked in. Louis hadn’t even noticed him, but now that he had, it was hard to pull his eyes away. Something about the boy seemed to draw Louis’ attention. 

Before Louis could tear his eyes away from the curly haired boy, their eyes met, Harry shooting him a soft smile. “Hi,” he said. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to shake Louis out of his thoughts enough to smile back before breaking the eye contact the two were holding. 

Liam plopped down on Zayn’s bed, Zayn following without a second thought. It was weird to Louis how close they were. He and Noah would never sit that close, let alone share a bed. --But then a thought dawned on him. Zayn and Liam were awfully close after all. “--Wait, are you two together?” he asked, before his brain could tell his mouth to shut up. 

Louis was quickly corrected by the loud laugh that came from Niall. The laugh was extremely obnoxious, but somehow charming. He glanced over as Harry covered his mouth, trying to hide his grin. Zayn and Liam glanced at each other, neither one of them moving away. “What?” Liam asked, clueless. “Why would you think that?” he asked. Liam’s answer only made the other boys laugh harder, causing Zayn to flip them off. 

Louis shook his head. “Nevermind, just a stupid question,” he said. 

As he was talking, he heard Niall whisper to Harry, “for someone so smart, Liam really is a dumbass.” Harry’s laugh was enough to convince Louis that he wasn’t completely wrong in the way he read the situation. 

“So, Louis,” Harry said, changing the topic of conversation. “What caused you to transfer to Grand Ridge midyear?” he asked. Louis knew that Harry wasn’t being malicious. There was no way for the boy to know that Louis was trying to keep his reason for transferring a secret. 

“I guess I just needed a change. I went to Westridge before,” Louis explained. “Thought there was better opportunity or whatever here,” he added. He had basically copied his mother’s words, but he hoped it was convincing enough. 

“That’s cool,” Niall answered. “Westridge usually has a pretty good team,” he added. “You were on it, right? Coach mentioned something about a player from there starting this semester. Said that maybe they’d be able to kick us into shape,” he said. 

“Yeah, I started varsity as a Freshman, actually,” Louis answered. It wasn’t necessarily bragging, but it was something Louis was proud of. 

“He’s good, too,” Liam said, popping into the conversation. “But you would have known that if you wouldn’t have skipped practice,” he said, glancing between Harry and Niall. “Can’t believe you guys waited it out at the lake just so you wouldn’t have to go to practice. It’s freezing out there,” he added, rolling his eyes. 

“Would you want to spend your first day back at practice dealing with Ethan?” Niall asked. 

“Fair enough,” Zayn answered. “Speaking of Ethan, though, Tommo really has a death wish,” he said, nodding towards the other boy. 

“I have no idea what you mean, Zayn,” Louis said, his voice innocent. The smirk on his face gave him away though. 

“What did you do?” Harry asked, looking straight at Louis. 

If Louis’ heart started beating just a little faster, he didn’t think twice about it. 

“He was talking some shit about my defense skills, so I just told him he wouldn’t be able to score on me,” Louis answered, shrugging like it hadn’t been a big deal. —And really, to Louis, it hadn’t been. He was used to trash talking, it was something they did at Westridge on a daily basis. It was the way they would fire each other up, encouraging them to play at their best. 

“He would have kicked your ass, too, if you wouldn’t have beaten him,” Zayn said, grinning. Harry and Niall looked shocked, and Liam just laughed. 

“You beat him?” Niall asked, and it was obvious that he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

Louis just shrugged his shoulders in response, “scored the winning goal, even,” he said, grinning. 

It didn’t take long for the conversation to change direction after that, and Louis was included easily. For the most part, though, Louis listened. As he listened, he couldn’t help but observe the way the four boys interacted so easily. It was a weird thing for Louis to witness. He had known Noah for most of his life, and the other boy was Louis’ best friend. However, the two had never been so comfortable with each other. They’d never seemed so at peace, and Louis was almost jealous of the relationship he noticed between the four boys. 

It had Louis questioning, maybe there was more to life than he thought. Maybe he was missing out on something big. --And maybe, just maybe, he would find it at Grand Ridge.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit shorter, but it has some important details in it! I hope you like it!!

Louis was slowly becoming more and more comfortable at Grand Ridge. It had been a few weeks since he first arrived at the unbelievably large campus, but he was starting to feel more at home. He was growing closer to all of the boys, but he was growing especially close to Harry. Something between the two boys clicked. Everything felt so natural between them. It was like the universe was telling them they were meant to play a role in each other’s lives. 

Louis almost couldn’t believe how simple things were with him. How there was never an awkward silence, only to be filled with the sound of striking a lighter. He couldn’t believe that there was never trouble filling the room with conversation when it was the two of them. 

It had never been that way with Louis’ past friendships. He’d always had a handful of people to spend his time with, but the more time Louis spent with Harry, Zayn, Liam, and Niall, the more he realized that the people who he surrounded himself with in the past were only warm bodies to make himself seem less alone. 

Not only was Louis’ social life going exceptionally well, but he was dominating the athletics department. At every turn, people were talking about the new student. The whispers were that he was the key, the last piece to the almost completed puzzle. According to the student body, Louis, although he was only in his second year, was going to lead the soccer team to victory. 

Practices had gone well since the first one of the season. His teammates, especially the upperclassmen, held a new level of respect for him. The coach had started to attend the practices more regularly since the term had begun, and now that they were on course to play their first game of the season, excitement was running high. 

The only thing that wasn’t going according to plan was Louis’ studies. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that the classes at Grand Ridge Preparatory were bound to be more difficult than the classes at Westridge. He just didn’t realize how advanced they would be. It was only a few weeks into the new semester, and Louis was already falling behind. 

“This is fucking stupid,” he said, throwing his math book at the edge of his bed. “I’m dropping out, boys. I’m never going to make it past my Sophomore year. I’m bound to be a high school dropout,” he said, a dramatic flare lacing his words. “When will I ever need to use this? What happened to the simple times? When knowing 2+2=4 was enough to get by,” he added. 

Louis, Liam, Zayn, Harry, and Niall were spread all around room 280, each one at different points of focus. His and Zayn’s shared dorm room seemed to be the main hangout location that the four boys shared these days, so it wasn’t a rare occurrence for them to lounge around doing homework. “Harold, get over here. Put me out of my misery,” Louis whined, pulling Harry closer to him, choosing to focus on playing with Harry’s curls instead of the pages of notes he had scattered all over his bed. 

Harry didn’t argue, only moving closer to Louis as he read the words in his own textbook, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth just slightly as he focused. It was almost comical how comfortable they were with each other, how normal this situation was, after only a few weeks. The others in the room didn’t even flinch at the almost couple-like behavior. 

Instead, Liam just rolled his eyes. “Come on, Tommo, it’s not that hard to understand,” he said from across the room. “If you don’t understand it completely I can help you out, you know,” he added, making eye contact with Louis. 

Louis shot Liam a glare, his hands still working on untangling Harry’s curls. “Easy for you to say, you’re at the top of the class,” he said. “Not to mention you think studying is fun. Like, how big of a nerd do you have to be, Payno,” he shot, although there was no real bite behind his words.

“Do you want his help or not, Lou?” Niall asked, a goofy grin on his face. The blonde boy had thrown his own books on the ground almost as soon as they entered the dorm room, opting to scroll through social media instead of studying. Louis had to admit to himself, he was a little bit jealous of his friend. He wished that he could slack off the way Niall did, but as soon as Louis’ grades started to slip, he would risk losing his scholarship status; something that Louis knew would mean his ultimate end at Grand Ridge. There was no way that Louis’ mother could afford to keep him at the school without the financial assistance. 

Louis stayed silent, throwing a glare towards Niall. He kept his hands in Harry’s hair, focusing on that more than the conversation in the room. The other boy didn’t even react to Louis’ hands on him, engrossed in the textbook he was searching through as he scribbled answers on his paper. 

“Oh, fine,” he finally answered. “But only for Liam’s sake. I know that he only offered because he wants to spend more time with me,” he said, a sly grin on his face. “Don’t be offended, boys, it’s hard to blame Payno for choosing favorites when I’m right here. It would be cruel to assume he’d choose any differently, though,” he said. “But you’re not teaching me anything now, I don’t think I could look at another math problem without passing away, very dramatically might I add.” 

Zayn shook his head in amusement before speaking up, “Lou is right though, we’ve been studying for way too long, we deserve a break.” 

“We could go out to the soccer pitch, maybe kick the ball around a bit before curfew?” Liam suggested, glancing around the room awaiting approval from the other boys. 

They all agreed, and before long, they were walking down the paved pathway towards the field, Louis carrying a soccer ball beneath his arm. As they were walking, Louis’ phone started going off with a call. He pulled it out, and looking at the name, he almost denied the call. Instead, though, he hesitated, passing the soccer ball to Niall. “I’ll catch up with you boys in a minute, my mom’s calling,” he lied easily. 

“Do you want me to wait, Lou?” Harry asked, meeting his eyes. 

“It’ll be all good, Hazza, I’ve learned my way to the field pretty easily by now. You don’t have to worry about me, I won’t get lost. Cross my heart,” he said, a goofy grin on his face. Inside though, he was urging them to quickly go on. 

“If you’re sure,” Harry said, his words coming out slow, somehow even slower than they usually did. 

Before much longer, the four boys were out of hearing distance and Louis quickly answered the call. “Hey El,” Louis said, giving her a quick smile. 

“Louis, hi. I was beginning to think you were ignoring me,” she said, letting out a small laugh. 

“Of course not, I was just walking out to the soccer field. I was planning on getting a bit of practice in before curfew. Had my phone on silent, but I just managed to look down on time,” he said. The words came out sounding more like the truth than a lie. 

“Oh, well I don’t want to keep you from practicing,” she said. “I just --I miss you, Louis. It’s not the same, you know?” she said, shaking her head. “I know it’s only been a few weeks, but we’ve only really called a few times. I know it’s hard though, getting used to everything,” she said. 

“I know, but I promise, El, things will calm down before long. It’s just a lot to get used to at once,” he explained. Although his words weren’t completely honest, there was truth laced in them. Transferring to Grand Ridge was a huge change, and it was taking time to adjust. 

“I get it, Louis. Just call me back when you aren’t busy, okay? Go practice, I need you at your best. I can’t have you losing your athleticism on me,” she teased. “I love you, Lou. I’ll talk to you later, alright?” 

“Yeah, love you too, El. I’ll call later,” he said, ending the call. 

It only occurred to Louis after he hung up that there had been no reason for him to wait until the boys were out of earshot to answer the call. There had been no reason for him to say that the call was from his mother. There was no reason for him to keep Eleanor a secret. So why had the lie come so naturally to him? Why did he feel the need to make it seem like his girlfriend was nonexistent? And why did Louis only have Harry on his mind when the lie left his mouth? 

Louis shook the thought out of his mind. Of course it had nothing to do with Harry? Although the boy was quickly becoming his closest friend, maybe he just wasn’t ready for his two worlds to collide. That was all there was to it. There was nothing more than that. 

Louis quickly jogged to the soccer pitch, realizing that he had stayed behind for a little longer than he had expected. Once the field came into view, his eyes were automatically drawn to his four friends kicking the ball back and forth, “Oi, I’m here now!” he said, quickly, running up to join them. 

“How was the call with your mom, Lou?” Zayn asked, kicking the ball in his direction. 

“Oh, it was fine. She just wanted to say hello. You all know how moms are, constantly worrying,” he said, the lie falling easily from his lips. Louis justified the lie by thinking, well of course he couldn’t tell them the truth now. That would just look too suspicious. 

“Aw, she missed her little baby Lou,” Harry said, a grin on his face as he ran over to Louis, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy. “Can’t say I blame her, though,” he said, smiling in a way that showed off his dimples. 

Louis laughed, and despite his confusing feelings towards the boy, he didn’t push Harry away. “Well I’m just too great not to miss,” he said. 

At some point after that, Harry had disconnected himself from Louis and the boys began mindlessly kicking the ball back and forth, getting distracted in conversation and messing around more than focusing on the ball at their feet. 

Before long, the daylight was beginning to fade away and the boys began their walk back to the dorms, each going their own separate ways with the exception of Zayn and Louis. Before they separated, though, Liam looked at Louis, “I really can help you out with your work if you need it, Lou,” he said, kindly. “We can start studying together more and everything. It’s hard adjusting to a different curriculum,” he said. 

“Yeah, Payno, that’d actually be pretty cool of you,” he answered, giving his friend a smile. They said their goodbyes before Liam separated, walking to his own dorm. 

Following the conversation, Liam stuck to his word. The two boys began to spend more and more time together, and although a large portion of the time was spent goofing off, they did fit a decent amount of tutoring and studying in. Before long, Louis’ grades started to reflect the extra work. Liam was a good teacher, and that was undeniable. He was able to adjust in order to explain things to Louis in a way that made sense, and because of that, Louis’ grades were on the rise. 

With his academic problems getting better, Louis was able to direct most of his energy towards the upcoming soccer game. It was the first game of the regular season, and Louis had been informed that he would be added to the starting lineup. As a sophomore, that was almost unheard of. 

It was the night before the game, and even though Louis should have been resting, he was lying on his bed wide awake. “What if I screw it up tomorrow?” he asked. He knew that Zayn had to be getting annoyed with him. It was nearing one in the morning, and Louis had been getting his attention approximately every five minutes. 

“Lou, you won’t screw it up. You’re a good player, man. Just get some rest, you’ll be fine,” Zayn mumbled in response, stuffing his face into his own pillow. 

“You’re no help,” Louis shot back, but he knew Zayn was right. Eventually, Louis fell into a restless sleep. 

When he woke up the next morning, his eyes fighting to stay closed, he was beyond anxious. The only thing about it that made Louis feel good was that it was an early game, meaning he could get it over with sooner rather than later. 

By the time Louis found himself in the locker room, changed into his game uniform and head between his knees, he felt like he was going to be sick. 

“Are you okay, Lou?” a voice asked, sitting almost too-closely beside him, putting a hand on his back. 

“I’m fine, Haz,” he answered, not looking up. 

“Louis, are you really that worried about the game? You’re going to do great,” Harry said, softly, his hand still resting on the small of Louis’ back. 

“What if I screw it up, Harry? Coach is starting me as a sophomore. If we lose, it’ll be on me, you know that. Ethan, the rest of the team… They’ll all say it’s my fault,” he said, finally looking up to meet Harry’s eyes. 

“Lou, with you on the field, there’s no way we’re going to lose,” he said, giving his friend a small smile. “You’re great, Louis. There’s a reason Coach is starting you. You’re going to be amazing,” he said. 

Louis was still so fucking anxious. But he gave Harry a smile. “Thanks, Hazza,” he said. 

“Now are you ready to get out there? Coach is going to hunt us down if we don’t show our faces soon,” he said, laughter accompanying his words. 

“Yeah, let’s go,” Louis answered. His heart was still beating out of his chest, and he wasn’t sure if that was because of his anxiousness for the upcoming game, or if it was because Harry’s face was so close to his own only moments before. 

The game went better than Louis could have ever imagined. He was on fire throughout the entire match, and both his offense and defense was unbelievably good. Louis was playing better than he ever had in his life. The other team was talented, but they couldn’t even put up a fight against Grand Ridge. As soon as the timer had run down, Louis turned to the scoreboard, seeing the final score of 4-1. They had won, and Louis had scored two of the points himself. 

Before he knew it, the entire team was running up to celebrate with him. Harry got to him first from where he was already on the field after being subbed in with two minutes left on the clock. He wrapped his arms around Louis in a tight hug. “I told you so, Lou, you did so great,” he whispered in his ear, not letting go for a long moment. 

All Louis could think about was how badly he just wanted to lean and kiss him. Eleanor wasn’t even a thought in his mind as the team gathered around him, all jumping and cheering. As soon as the celebration had calmed down and the teams had congratulated each other on a good game, a thought occurred to Louis. 

When did he start thinking about kissing Harry Styles?


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoy!

“Come on, Lou, you’ve been studying way too hard lately. Just come to the party with us,” Zayn said, grabbing the book Louis was holding and snatching it out of his hands. “It’ll be fun, I swear. My friend in Junior year is hosting it,” he added. 

Louis looked between the book Zayn was holding and his friend’s face. His grades were at a fairly solid place, so he didn’t necessarily need to spend all of his free time studying. --But he also didn’t want to risk his grades slipping. Things were good at Grand Ridge, and the last thing Louis wanted to do was screw it up. 

Zayn was still looking at Louis expectantly, waiting for an answer. “Come on, Tommo. You and Li have been closed up in the library almost every day that we don’t have practice. It’s like we never see either of you anymore. Not to mention, Liam is going so it’s not like you’ll have anyone to study with,” he added. 

Louis looked between Zayn and the textbook that he held in his hand one more time. He sighed, throwing his notebook towards the foot of his bed. Little did Zayn know that Louis had been studying more in order to avoid his friends, at least to a point. He just needed to avoid them until he had a chance to figure out what his feelings for Harry meant. He’d also been using the time that hadn’t been spent with Liam as a chance to Facetime with Eleanor without any distractions or questions popping up. 

But a party really did sound nice. It made Louis realize that ever since arriving at Grand Ridge Preparatory, he hadn’t gotten wasted once. It was a weird feeling. Before, Louis was constantly drinking and partying. There was even one night when he was escorted home by the police at three in the morning after they caught him, Noah, and a few others drinking in the woods. His younger sister had answered the door, dressed in pajamas and her hair sticking up in all directions. All Louis could do was sheepishly smile, the effects of the alcohol not yet worn off. 

Since starting at Grand Ridge, Louis snuck away a handful of times to smoke, but he had noticed he was spending a significantly smaller amount of money on cigarettes. Considering he would have to pay extra to bribe someone of age to buy them for him, it was a large bit of cash coming out of his pocket every week. 

“You’re right, Zayn,” Louis said. “I’m so over studying anyways,” he said, standing up from his spot. “It’s like I have a constant headache when I spend so much time staring at those words,” he said, shaking his head. “I think I deserve some fun.” 

“You definitely do,” Zayn agreed, throwing the textbook in the same direction that Louis had thrown the notebook full of scribbles and highlights. “I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this, but we’re pretty worried. Liam used to be the only nerd in the group, but it seems like you’re starting to follow in his footsteps,” Zayn teased. 

“Oh shut up,” Louis said, a grin on his face as he picked up his pillow and launched it at Zayn. “We have classes in thirty minutes, let’s head to the dining hall and grab some breakfast,” Louis suggested. Fridays were always nice because he and Zayn both had a free period first hour so their classes didn’t technically start until 10:30. 

“Sounds good to me,” Zayn replied, already heading towards the door. The two boys quickly made their way towards the dining hall, buying a quick breakfast before they had to be at their first classes of the day. Once they finished eating, they said their goodbyes and headed their separate ways for the day. 

Classes went by slowly, and by the time the final bell rang, Louis was anxious for the events that were sure to take place that night. Throughout the day, everywhere Louis turned the topic of conversation seemed to be the party that would be held just off campus, at the older student’s house. If the whispers Louis heard had any truth to them, he was definitely in for a wild night. 

As soon as the final bell rang, Louis was quick to gather up his books and head back to his and Zayn’s shared dorm. Luckily there was no soccer practice that afternoon, so the plan was to meet the boys in room 280 and they would head to the party together that evening. --After a bit of pregaming at a lake that Liam had told him was basically the groups’ unofficial hangout. 

Louis used his keycard to unlock the door, and unsurprisingly, Niall was already sitting on his bed, the only one in the room. “I’m still not sure if I should even ask how you all got keycards for our room,” Louis said, rolling his eyes. He really didn’t mind, though. 

“You shouldn’t,” Niall answered, a cheeky grin on his face. “Because if I were to tell you, then I’d have to kill you,” he added. “Oh, by the way, Hazza just sent a text saying their last period teacher was lecturing them, kept them after the bell and everything. He’s in the same class as Liam and Zayn, but they should be here before long,” he explained. 

“Sounds good,” Louis answered, shoving the blonde boy off of his bed and taking his place.

“What’d you do that for?” Niall asked, standing up from where he landed on the floor. 

“It’s my bed, Nialler,” Louis answered, simply, a proud grin on his face. 

The two boys kept up casual conversation as they waited for Zayn, Liam, and Harry to join them, but it didn’t take too long for the three boys to burst into the room, all grumbling about their least favorite teacher. “--Can’t believe she kept us for an extra ten minutes after the bell,” Liam said, shaking his head. 

“Well how did your classes go today, boys?” Louis asked, an innocent smile on his face. The innocent facade was ruined by Niall’s loud laughter at his question. 

“Oh fuck off, Lou,” Zayn said, throwing the jacket he had just taken off at where Louis sat. 

“That’s quite rude of you, Zayn. I was simply asking about how the day went for my three favorite boys,” he said. 

“--Hey!” Niall protested. 

“I meant three out of four of my favorite boys,” Louis said, a laugh escaping him. 

“You better have meant that, Tommo,” Niall said, flipping Louis off with a wide smile on his face. 

That’s how the five boys spent the next few hours, just messing around with each other and cracking jokes as they scrolled through their phones. Before they knew it, the sun was setting and the party would be set to start in a couple of hours. Zayn got up from his spot on the bed, digging underneath it to find a few bottles of liquor. He threw the bottles into a duffle bag, pulling it up over his shoulder. “Well, are you guys ready to head out to the lake?” he asked. 

The weather was finally starting to warm up, so it was fairly nice as the boys led Louis off campus, sneaking through the woods surrounding the school so they wouldn’t get stopped at the front gate. It seemed like his friends knew exactly what they were doing, and Louis wasn’t surprised to hear that this was a regular occurrence for them. Louis just followed in silence, looking around at the worn paths leading throughout the trees. When they finally arrived at a small clearing where a small lake sat off to the side, Louis could see why the boys chose to spend a lot of their time here. It was quiet, and far enough from campus that he was sure it was seldom visited by anyone who didn’t know it was there. 

As soon as the five boys were spread around the clearing, Zayn pulled the bottles out, tossing the bag to the side. He passed one of them to Louis, one to Niall, and kept one in his own hands. This was familiar to Louis, passing the bottles from person to person, the only intent being to get buzzed. It was so easy for Louis, falling back into habit. He took a long chug from one of the bottles before passing it to Harry. Before long, the night sky had gotten darker, and the boys were getting tipsier by the second. 

“Ready, boys?” Niall finally asked, standing up from his spot and stumbling only slightly from moving too fast. 

The others agreed, and before long, they were on their way towards the location for the night’s event. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the house, already filled with other students. The music could be heard from down the street, and the lawn was filled with drunk teenagers. 

As soon as they got there, Louis’ attention was caught by one of his senior teammates, inviting him to play on his team for beer pong. Louis looked over at where his friends had already dispersed, leaving only him and Harry. “Do you mind, Haz?” he asked, putting a hand on the other boy’s shoulder. Louis had always been a touchy drunk. 

“No, Lou, go have fun,” Harry answered, giving him a smile. 

So Louis did. It had been so long since Louis had a chance to completely let go and have fun, and he had full intentions to make the most of the night. Beer pong was just the start, and Louis spent the rest of the night drinking and dancing, just letting loose. 

By the time Louis saw Harry, he was wasted. “Hazza!” he said, his voice much louder than it needed to be. Louis walked over to the boy, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “I’m not drunk,” he said, matter-of-factly, the slur in his words giving him away. 

“Sure you aren’t, Lou,” Harry said, far less drunk than Louis was. 

“I’m not!” Louis protested, but he was quickly distracted by Harry’s curls. They really were his favorite feature on the boy. He reached up, running his fingers through his hair. “I like your curls almost as much as I like you,” he stated. 

“I’m flattered, Louis,” Harry said, a grin on his face. Of course he was tipsy, but he wasn’t nearly as wasted as Louis was. He had never been the biggest fan of getting drunk at these types of parties and making a full of himself in front of his classmates. “And I’m happy to hear that you like me more than my curls,” he said, trying not to laugh. “They usually take the spotlight.”

“See, I would say I like your curls more than I like you, but I don’t want to kiss your curls,” he said, his voice serious. “Not that I would mind kissing your curls, but I think kissing your face would be so much better,” he added. 

Harry bit down on his lip, trying to stop the grin from spreading on his face. “Come on, Louis, I think it’s time we get you back to your dorm,” he said, softly, wrapping his arm around Louis’ waist to help him walk without stumbling. “I think the others have already headed back,” Harry explained, leading Louis back towards the way they had snuck out of campus. 

Louis was barely a help, just leaning his head on Harry’s shoulder as the boy held him steady as they walked. “Harry, do you want to kiss me, too?” Louis asked, his words still slurred, speaking too loudly as Harry was trying to sneak them back to the boarding hall without being caught. 

“We’ll talk in the morning, okay, Lou?” Harry said, a smile on his face. 

Harry was eventually able to pull the drunken boy to room 280, dropping him off before heading back to his own room. Louis fell asleep quickly, the effects of the alcohol still fogging his brain. 

When Louis woke up the next morning, or maybe it was nearing the afternoon, he had a pounding headache and way too many memories from his stupidity of the night before. “Aspirin is on your table, just don’t start talking,” Zayn said, rubbing his eyes. 

“Thanks,” Louis mumbled, picking up the two pills and swallowing them dry. Louis grabbed his phone from where it was sitting on the bedside table, notifications lighting up the screen. He had three missed calls from his mom, two missed Facetimes from Eleanor, and a text from Harry. “Fuck,” Louis mumbled, quickly pulling up his messages and clicking on Eleanor’s name. 

Louis sighed, writing out a quick text. ‘ sorry el, not feeling the best. slept through the calls, but i’ll call back when i’m feeling better. ‘ Louis quickly hit send before opening up his messages with his mother and sending a slightly reworded version of the same text. 

Louis let his head rest in his hands for a moment before opening Harry’s text. It would be easier if he didn’t have any memories of the night before, but everything he’d said had come rushing back to him. Finally, he gained the courage to look at the screen. ‘ morning lou. come to my room when you’re feeling up to it? ‘ 

Being confronted by Harry was the last thing Louis wanted to do, but he knew that he would have to face his best friend eventually. “Going to Hazza’s,” Louis said, directing the words somewhere in the direction where he knew Zayn was. He didn’t wait for a response before leaving his own dorm room and heading towards Harry’s. 

When Louis found himself standing right outside of Harry’s door, he took a deep breath before knocking softly. He knew he probably should have waited to come and talk to the other boy, but he couldn’t help the butterflies he felt in his stomach. Nerves getting the better of him, he took a deep breath before he reached out and softly knocked on his best friend’s door. 

It didn’t take more than a few seconds for the door to open, Harry standing on the other side wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. “Hey, Louis,” he said, giving him a soft smile. Harry stepped aside, letting Louis enter the single room. Louis had know idea how Harry was so lucky to get one of the few single rooms on campus, but he figured it had something to do with the way every member of the staff and administration was head over heels for the boy. 

Louis slowly entered the room, standing awkwardly beside Harry’s bed. Usually it was completely normal for Louis and Harry to sit side by side, leaning all over each other. --But usually Louis hadn’t just confessed that he had thought about kissing Harry. 

Harry stepped past Louis, taking a seat on his bed and pulling the boy down with him. It was almost as if Harry had read his thoughts. “Come on, Louis, it’s not weird,” he said. Louis couldn’t help but wonder if Harry meant the two of them sitting so close, or if he meant what Louis had admitted to last night. 

Louis shook his head, looking up to meet Harry’s eyes. “Listen, Hazza, I’m sorry for last night--” Louis started, just wanting to get the conversation over with. 

“Did you mean it? What you said?” Harry asked, interrupting Louis. 

“Harry--” Louis began, shaking his head. 

“Louis, just.. Please. Did you mean it when you said you wanted to kiss me?” Harry asked, looking straight into his eyes. 

Louis looked down, breaking eye contact. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I don’t know when it started, but I’ve… I’ve wanted to for a while,” he admitted, his voice almost silent. 

“Lou, don’t apologize,” Harry said, gently lifting his head to meet his eyes. “I’ve wanted to kiss you, too,” he said, giving him a small smile. “Can I…?” Harry asked, waiting for Louis to give him the greenlight. 

Louis was shocked by what he heard, but he slowly nodded. Harry took the nod as an okay, and he slowly leaned in, meeting Louis’ lips in a soft kiss. 

The kiss didn’t last long, Harry pulling away after a few seconds had passed. As if it were a sign from the universe that Louis was an asshole, as soon as Harry pulled away from him, he got a notification on his phone, a text from Eleanor. 

Shit. 

Louis felt guilty, he really did. But he couldn’t stop himself from thinking that even those couple of seconds where Harry’s lips were on his felt so different from the times he had kissed Eleanor. He hadn’t seen fireworks or whatever else you see in the movies, but kissing Harry felt different. Kissing Harry felt better than he had imagined it would. Kissing Harry felt right. 

“Harry, I should get back to my dorm, I missed a few calls from my mom last night,” he said, softly, a smile on his face. “We can talk later, yeah?” he suggested. 

“Yeah of course, Louis,” Harry answered, a smile on his own face. “Go call your mom, we can talk whenever,” he said, hesitating only a second before giving Louis another quick kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you later, Lou,” 

“See you later, Hazza,” Louis replied, leaving the room. 

The conversation never came, Louis and Harry just falling into the habit of kissing each other. Nothing else about their relationship had changed, they were still best friends. They were just best friends who would sometimes kiss. 

Zayn, Liam, and Niall were constantly teasing them about it, but neither of the boys took it personally. They knew a conversation was coming at some point, that eventually they would have to define their relationship, but for the time being, best friends who kiss was good enough. 

The first time they had kissed in front of their friends, it had been a complete accident. Louis and Zayn were fighting over an unimportant topic, but both of them had strong opinions on the subject. Louis had pulled Harry down beside him to play with his curls, muttering about how Zayn just didn’t get it, something that had been happening more and more. Harry just rolled his eyes and leaned in to give him a quick kiss, causing all three of the other boys to look at them with wide eyes. From that point, it became normal to show affection in front of their closest friends.

Louis had noticed a difference in his own behavior. Every time Eleanor’s name would pop up on his phone, he found himself rolling his eyes, coming up with any excuse he could not to talk. He felt guilty. He knew that he had to find a way to end things between the two of them, but he couldn’t figure out how to do it. Louis wanted to talk to Harry, to define things between the two of them. But he couldn’t do that until he talked to Eleanor. He owed her that much. 

Before Louis had the chance to talk to her, though, Eleanor had taken matters into her own hands. Louis was woken up early one Saturday morning by a knock on the door. “Z, get it,” Louis mumbled, rolling over to bury his face in his pillow. The knock sounded again, and Louis finally rolled out of bed when he realized Zayn wouldn’t get up to answer the door. “Asshole,” he shot at Zayn, throwing a pillow at the sleeping boy, and it was enough to wake him up. 

When Louis opened the door, though, he wished he wouldn’t have woken his roommate. “Eleanor--” Louis said, shocked, as she stepped into the room, pulling him into a hug. “What are you doing here?” he asked, shocked. The tiredness was completely gone from his body, replaced with surprise. 

“Aren’t you happy to see me, Lou?” Eleanor, teased, leaning in and giving him a kiss. “We had a long weekend, figured I would come and see you. Thought you’d like the surprise,” she said, a smile on her face. 

Louis blinked, trying to think of the words to say. He quickly glanced over his shoulder to see Zayn giving him the most obvious ‘what the fuck’ face he’d ever seen. He quickly looked back at Eleanor, putting on a fake smile. “Of course I’m happy to see you, El. You just… Surprised me, that’s all,” he said. “Uh, El, this is Zayn. My roommate. Zayn, this is Eleanor. She’s my… Girlfriend,” he said, silently pleading with Zayn through his eyes. 

“Oh, your girlfriend?” Zayn asked, his voice harsh. “Glad I could finally meet you Eleanor, I’ve heard so much about you,” he lied, basically spitting out the words. “There’s a strict no visitors in the dorms policy, but if you want to go wait in the common room, Lou and I will be out there in just a minute,” Zayn said. 

“Oh, yeah, of course. I don’t want to get you in trouble, Lou. I’ll see you in just a few minutes,” she answered quickly. She started walking down the hall, and Louis closed the door behind her. 

Before Louis could even say a word, Zayn was standing up from the bed walking towards him. “What the fuck, man?” he said. “How could you do this to Haz?” 

“Zayn, I swear it’s not what it looks like,” Louis said, quickly. 

“So you haven’t been leading Harry on, making out with him even though you’re ‘just friends’ while you had a girlfriend waiting for you back at home?” Zayn asked, spitting out the words. 

“When you put it like that it sounds awful. But I swear, I’ve been planning on ending things with Eleanor. I just… I couldn’t figure out how to do it. I don’t want to hurt her,” Louis said, pleading with Zayn to understand. 

“This is going to kill Harry. But why would you care about that when you have her feelings to worry about,” Zayn said, shoving past Louis and leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. Louis sat on the floor in front of the door, head in his hands. There was no doubt in Louis’ mind that Zayn was going straight to their friends to tell them what was happening. 

Louis sat there for a few more minutes before finally standing up and going to find Eleanor. He would have to tell her, sooner or later, and it seemed like sooner was his only option. 

When he got to the common room, he saw Eleanor sitting in one of the oversized chairs waiting for him. He gave her a small smile, walking towards her. “I have an early game this morning if you want to come watch,” Louis said. “And then afterwards we can talk, yeah?” he suggested. 

“Yeah, Lou, that sounds great,” Eleanor answered, giving him a smile. 

Louis looked towards the end of the hallway where he could clearly see Zayn, Liam, Niall, and Harry watching. “Give me a few minutes, El, I’ll be back in a bit. I forgot my duffle bag in the dorm,” he said, giving her a small smile. 

He didn’t wait for an answer before walking towards his friends. Once he caught up to him, he looked between the three angry faces, and one hurt one. “I need to be honest with you guys,” he said, taking a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it wasn't originally supposed to end like this, but it was already at almost 4,000 words so i decided to split this chapter into two parts! i'm already working on the next update, so i would really appreciate it if my gc doesn't try to bully me into updating.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is pretty short since it’s just the continuation of the last chapter, but i hope you like it!

“I need to be honest with you guys,” he said, taking a deep breath. Here goes nothing. 

“Yeah, Louis, you really do,” Niall said, shooting him a glare. In the months that Louis had known the blonde, he’d never seen him so serious. He’d never seen him so angry. Niall was always the easiest to talk to, always laughing and smiling. But he wasn’t like that now. 

“Harry, please, I need you to listen to me,” he said, looking directly at the curly haired boy. Harry, though, was avoiding meeting his eyes. “Harry, I need you to know that I didn’t want to hurt you,” Louis said, pleading with Harry to look at him. To forgive him. “I was going to break up with her, Hazza, I just couldn’t figure out how to, I’m still going to,” he said. 

“Why did you let me kiss you when you had a girlfriend?” Harry finally answered, his voice quiet. He finally looked up to meet Louis’ eyes, and Louis could clearly see the hurt in them. 

“Harry, I wasn’t lying to you. None of it was a lie. When I said I wanted to talk about us, that I wanted to figure things out, that was serious. Hazza, I like you a lot. Eleanor doesn’t change the way I feel about you,” he said, trying to make Harry understand. 

“She changes everything, Louis. You lied to me,” Harry said, the hurt obvious in his voice. “Just don’t talk to me, okay? Go be with your girlfriend. Whatever was going on between us --friendship or more-- it’s over. I don’t want to see you, Louis,” Harry said, stepping past Louis to walk towards the exit. He was followed by Liam, Zayn, and Niall, none of them giving him a second glance. 

Louis didn’t know how to feel. On one hand, he understood that what he had done was wrong. But on the other hand, he was angry. He was angry that Harry hadn’t listened to him. He was angry that his friends had dropped him so quickly just over a dumb mistake. He was angry that he couldn’t have manned up and talked to Eleanor earlier. 

Louis shook the thoughts out of his head, running to his room to grab his duffle bag so he wouldn’t be late for the game. On the way out, he stopped back by the common room to get Eleanor, and he led her to the soccer pitch. “We’ll talk after the game, yeah?” he said. Even if Harry hated him, Louis owed it to Eleanor to do this. He owed it to Harry to do this. He owed it to himself to do this. 

“Yeah of course, Lou. Good luck!” she said, leaning in to give him a quick kiss. 

Louis rushed off to the locker room, and as soon as he entered, his friends left. Louis couldn’t help but feel the anger rush into his body again, and he took it out the only way he knew how. He punched the locker in front of him as hard as he possibly could. 

“Woah, Tommo, calm down, man!” one of his teammates said, running up to him. “Is everything okay?” he asked, holding his hands up in mock surrender. 

“Yeah, everything is fucking great,” he said, opening his locker and throwing his stuff in. He quickly changed into his uniform before running out to the field. 

The game started out well enough. Louis was distracted, and he wasn’t playing at the top of his game by any means. The other talent on the team was enough to make up for his shortcomings, though. It wasn’t until the coach had subbed in Niall and Liam that the game started going downhill. It was like they had a mutual agreement to pretend like Louis didn’t even exist. 

“Are you guys fucking kidding me?” Louis asked at one point, running up beside Niall when he had purposefully ignored Louis, despite having a wide open shot. “I get that you’re pissed at me, but are you really going to screw up the game?” he asked, shoving Niall’s shoulder just a bit. 

Before Niall could react to the aggression, Louis was called over by the coach. “Tomlinson, get your ass over here!” he called from the sidelines, sending Harry in to play Louis’ position. Once Louis got to the sidelines, the coach pulled him away from earshot of the rest of the team. “What’s going on with you, Tomlinson?” he asked. 

“Just an off game, I don’t know,” he answered, trying not to get angry. Why was Louis being punished when it was Liam and Niall who were acting like he didn’t exist? 

“There were a lot of people who wanted this scholarship. A lot of people who needed the help to get into this school, but you beat them out. You can’t just have off games and then take your aggression out on your teammate. Tomlinson, you can lose the scholarship a hell of a lot quicker than you got it, so I suggest working out whatever problems you have. Now get your ass to the locker room, you’re out for the game,” he said, storming back off to the bench. 

Louis stormed off towards the locker room, slamming the door behind him. He wanted to blame his coach. He wanted to blame Eleanor. He wanted to blame Harry. He wanted to blame Zayn. He wanted to blame Liam. He wanted to blame Niall. But he knew the only person he could blame was himself.

He was the one who kept Eleanor a secret. He was the one who decided to start a physical relationship with Harry when he still had a girlfriend. He was the one who put off breaking up with Eleanor. It was all on him. There was no one left to blame but himself. 

Louis took his time changing back into his regular clothes. He wished for nothing more than a cigarette in that moment, but he had left his nearly empty pack in his dorm room that morning, craving the tight feeling in his chest. Regardless, Louis used the time alone in the locker room to calm himself, knowing that as soon as he left the locker room, his life would change. 

He had been best friends with Eleanor since Kindergarten, and they’d been in a relationship since the summer before seventh grade. When he told her they were over, a huge part of his life would be falling away. The thoughts in his head made him realize that maybe he hadn’t been waiting for the best way to break the news to her. Maybe he was scared to lose her. Scared to lose the last connection he had to his old life. Maybe he was scared of everything changing. 

Before leaving the locker room, Louis pulled out his phone to send Eleanor a quick text message, requesting that she meet him in the courtyard by the main entrance. 

It was now or never. 

Louis left the locker room, not even glancing at the soccer field or the scoreboard. As he was walking, he heard loud cheers coming from the crowd, but he didn’t care enough to look back and see what had caused the excitement. Instead, he just kept walking towards the courtyard. He knew, that with most of the staff and students at the match, it would be empty enough for him and Eleanor to talk in private. 

When he saw Eleanor sitting on one of the benches, focused on scrolling through whatever social media she had opened on her phone, he took a deep breath before walking towards her. “Hey, El,” he spoke, softly, taking a seat on the bench beside her. 

“What happened out there, Louis?” she asked, turning to look at him. 

“There’s just some drama going on with the team right now, and I let it get the better of me,” he said, shaking his head. “But I think we really need to talk,” he said, looking down to break the eye contact. 

Eleanor stayed silent for a moment, biting down on her lip. “What’s on your mind, Lou?” she asked, but her tone of voice told Louis that she already knew what was coming. Louis knew Eleanor better than he had known another person ever, and he knew how smart she was. He knew that she knew what was coming. 

“I think we need to breakup,” Louis said, finally looking up to meet Eleanor’s eyes. 

Eleanor just nodded slowly. “I kinda knew it was coming,” she admitted. “I thought that coming to see you would fix things, but I guess not, huh?” she said, sadly. 

“You knew?” Louis asked, and although he wasn’t fully surprised, he didn’t expect for her to admit it. 

“You’ve been ignoring me since you got here,” she said, letting out a laugh. It was obvious that there was no humor behind it, though. “What would you think if I would have never answered your calls or texts?” she pointed out. 

“I haven’t meant to ignore you, El. I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I shouldn’t have kept leading you on, though. It wasn’t right of me,” he admitted. 

“Just be honest with me, Louis. What changed?” she asked. “I don’t want you to lie to spare my feelings. I just —I need to know, Lou. I need to know if it’s my fault,” she said. 

“It’s not your fault,” Louis admitted. He looked down at his lap and sighed quietly before meeting her eyes again. “El, there’s someone else. And I really like him,” he said, waiting to see Eleanor’s reaction to the pronoun. When Eleanor just nodded in understanding, Louis continued. “I don’t want you to think that what we had was fake or me using you to try to figure things out. I love you, and a part of me always will. I don’t know what I am, but… I know it’s not fair to you for me to keep dragging you along,” he said. “But it’s not fair to him either. And I think I might have already screwed things up with him.” 

“Louis, can I be honest with you?” Eleanor asked. 

“Of course, El,” Louis answered. 

“I get it. I get that you want to be with him, but I really don’t want to give my ex boyfriend relationship advice,” she said, giving him a sad smile. “So instead of talking to me about him, just go find him.” 

Louis nodded, already standing up. “Thanks for being so cool, El. You’re a really great person,” he said. 

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Louis was walking towards the soccer pitch, knowing the game would be over soon. All he could hope is was that he’d be able to catch Harry and get him to listen. 

Louis was in luck. Almost as soon as he got to the soccer pitch, the team was running off the field, all with disappointed looks on their faces. They must have lost after all, but Louis couldn’t say he was surprised. None of them had been playing like much of a team. 

As soon as Harry came into his view, Louis all but ran towards him, pulling him off to the side so they could talk. “Harry, I talked to Eleanor. Things are completely over between us. I told her about you, about how I really like you. Haz, I’m so sorry,” he said, all in one breath. 

“I get it, Louis,” Harry said, a sigh leaving his lips. “But I’m done with you. I can’t trust you. Whatever we were, it’s over now. I can’t do this,” he said, shaking his head and pulling his arm out of Louis’ grasp. “We’re nothing now, Louis.” Harry walked back to join the rest of the team, only looking back once he was too far away to come back.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the last chapter in part one, and the next chapter will pick up in the beginning of part two! i hope you like it!

It was becoming more and more difficult for Louis to believe that his first few months at Grand Ridge were ending, and even more surprising that at one point, he'd been happy. The past few months had been spent with four great friends, a starting spot on the varsity soccer team, decent grades, and an almost-boyfriend. 

In the last couple of weeks, his reality had made a complete 180. 

Now Louis found himself spending his free time locked in his dorm room, almost never seeing any of the boys. Zayn would stay out of the dorm as much as possible, only coming back to sleep, and when he did, he wouldn’t say a single word to Louis. Louis was starting on the varsity soccer team still, but he never felt like celebrating after wins. His grades were falling lower and lower, especially without Liam’s help, and his scholarship status was in real danger. And his previous almost-boyfriend hated the sight of his face. 

Louis was far from happy. 

He was sitting on his bed, textbooks surrounding him and a notebook on his lap. He had been reading over the content for hours on end, cramming for his finals that were coming up in the next few days. It was all too much. There was no way he’d be able to pass his exams, especially without Liam’s help. At this point, he was just waiting for the official message from Dean Greenwood that said he was losing the scholarship for the next year. 

He had just launched his notebook at the door when it started to open, the book almost hitting Zayn. “Sorry Z,” Louis said, shaking his head. 

Zayn picked up the notebook, tossing it on Louis’ bed without saying a single word. Zayn walked over to his own bed, putting earbuds in his ears and turning his music up loud enough that Louis could hear it. Louis understood the sign as clear as day. Zayn wanted nothing to do with him. 

Maybe losing the scholarship wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. If he lost the scholarship, he would just start over again at a new school, and maybe this time, he wouldn’t screw it all up. 

With that thought in mind, Louis slammed the open textbooks closed, shoving them off the bed and standing up to turn the light off. As soon as the light went off, he heard Zayn’s music quiet. “You don’t have to turn it off if you’re trying to study, Louis. It’s fine,” he said, not looking in his direction. “Don’t want you adding finals to the list of things you fucked up,” he said. 

“Fuck off, Zayn,” Louis answered, no real bite behind the words. Zayn was right. All Louis had done since he arrived at Grand Ridge was screw everything up. Maybe he deserved that. Louis hesitated, almost turning the light back on, but he just shook his head before walking back to his bed. He was tired of studying, anyways. Louis laid down on the bed, trying his hardest to fall asleep, but a million thoughts raced through his head. 

At some point, Louis was able to fall asleep, but it was restless, the upcoming challenges and past failures weighing on his mind. 

The next morning Louis woke up late, and he only had ten minutes to get to his first class of the day. The thought of skipping crossed his mind, but he really did need every little bit of review he could get. He quickly got up and got dressed for the day, basically speeding out of his dorm. On the way out of his room, he almost ran straight into Harry. 

“Haz --Harry, sorry,” he said, quickly correcting the nickname that fell out of his mouth so easily. Louis just stopped and stared for a moment, not sure of anything else to say. Luckily, he was spared from having to say anything when he heard Niall’s voice from behind him, calling Harry over to meet him. Harry didn’t even give him a second look as he stepped past him. 

Louis just shook his head, walking in the opposite direction to leave the boarding hall. 

His classes went slowly that day, and practice went even worse. They were preparing for the championship game that would be played in just a few short days, and the coach and Ethan were on edge, as well as the players. For a lot of them, this was their last chance at a championship. They all wanted the win so badly, and tensions were running high. 

“What the hell, Tomlinson?” one of the senior players yelled, shoving him backwards. “I was right there!” 

“Yeah, and if I would have passed it to you it would have just gotten stolen again!” Louis fought back. “Like every single other time you’ve gotten the ball this game,” he said. 

“Don’t mind Louis, he’s not very good at trusting people that have given him no reason not to trust them,” Zayn shot from the sidelines. 

“Shut the fuck up, Malik,” Louis said, turning on the boy. “This isn’t about whether or not you hate me, this is about how if we want to win the game, we have to start making smart plays.” 

“Language, Tomlinson,” his coach warned, head in his hands. 

“Whatever, just quit acting like you know everything about the game,” one of his other teammates shot. “Just pass when someone has an open shot. We can’t win if we don’t play like a team,” they said. 

“Whatever,” Louis said, kicking the ball as hard as he could and storming off the field. 

Louis heard the calls from his coach to get back there, but he ignored them, shoving his way through the plays and storming off towards the locker room. It wasn’t like he would be at Grand Ridge next semester anyways, so it wasn’t like it mattered. He threw open the locker room door, kicking it closed behind him as he sat on one of the benches, putting his head between his knees. 

Before long, Louis heard the door open and someone walking in, closing the door carefully behind them. “Are you okay, Louis?” he heard the voice ask, a soft sigh following the words. 

“What are you doing in here, Liam?” Louis asked, not looking up. 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he answered, simply. “So are you?” he asked. 

“Why does it matter?” Louis asked, finally looking up and making eye contact with Liam. 

“Because we’re teammates? I don’t know man,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m pissed at you, yeah, but I still care about you.” 

“Well you won’t have to worry about it much longer, there’s no way I’ll be back here in the fall,” Louis said before he could stop himself. 

“What do you mean?” Liam asked, giving him a side glance. “You can’t really be planning on leaving just because we’re not talking.” 

“I’m on scholarship and if I don’t ace exams then I’ll fail out,” Louis snapped. His eyes widened when he realized what he had said. He’d tried so hard the entire semester to keep it a secret, and now it was out. “Just… It’s nothing, Liam. And I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but if you could wait until after I’m gone to tell the guys, I would owe you.” 

“Do you really think they’d think less of you because you’re here on aid?” Liam asked, shaking his head. “You really don’t know any of us, do you?” he said, a humorless laugh leaving his lips. 

Louis stayed silent, thinking about the words Liam had said. 

Liam rolled his eyes, turning around and putting his hand on the door handle. Before he turned it though, he looked back at Louis and sighed. “If you want, meet me in the library tomorrow after classes. I can help you study,” he said. Without another word, he opened the door and left the room. 

Louis took Liam up on the offer, and that’s how he found himself the next day sat across the table from the boy who used to be one of his closest friends. “Do you get it now, Lou?” he asked, explaining the problem for the third time. 

“I think so. I just fucking hate math, man,” he said, shaking his head. He dropped his pen on the table, leaning back in his chair. 

The two had been studying for close to three hours, and it was definitely helping Louis. “Thanks again for helping me, Payno,” he said, sighing softly. 

Liam stayed silent for a moment before saying the words that were on his mind. “So why did you do it, Lou?” he asked. “I’ve been trying to figure it out since it happened. You had no reason to lie to us. There was no reason for you to start leading Harry on, so why did you do it?” he asked. 

Louis bit down on his lip, trying to think of how to word his answer. All he’d wanted since it came up was the chance to explain, and now that the time had come, he had no idea what to say. “I didn’t mean to do it. It’s not like I sat there one day and decided that I was going to keep her a secret from you guys. I guess at first it just didn’t seem important,” Louis admitted. “But then… I started really liking Hazza. And I knew that I needed to end things with Eleanor, but I guess I was just kinda scared to do it. I’ve had her by my side my entire life. I was scared to let go,” he added. “I never wanted to hurt Harry or make you guys think that I didn’t trust you. I just fucked up,” Louis said. 

Liam stayed quiet, shaking his head as he let out a deep breath. “Yeah, you definitely fucked up, man,” he agreed. Before Louis could say anything, Liam started speaking again. “There’s a party. After the big game, so it won’t be until after finals. You should come,” Liam said, biting down on his lip. “You deserve to be there, Louis,” he added. 

Louis tried to hide the small smile that appeared on his face. “I’ll think about it, yeah,” Louis agreed. 

“Good,” Liam said, giving him a small smile. “Now back to math,” he said, causing Louis to groan. 

The rest of the study session went well, the main focus being on the schoolwork. But as Louis packed up his things and made his way back to the dorm, he had a smile on his face. Maybe there was hope after all. Even Zayn’s obvious show of putting earbuds in as soon as Louis entered the room didn’t even put a damper on his mood. 

The next day was the start of finals. Although Louis felt more prepared than he expected, the tests were still stressful. Finals at Westridge were nothing in comparison to finals at Grand Ridge Preparatory. They were all seated in one large room, desks exactly five feet apart as they were timed with each individual test, getting a four minute rest break in between subjects. The content of the exams were definitely more difficult than Louis expected, but at the end of the day, he felt like he did fairly well on them. 

What Louis wasn’t prepared for in the least was the championship game. He was anxious, much like he was before starting his first game on the varsity team. But this time, Harry wasn’t there to comfort him. This time, he was completely on his own. 

Luckily, Louis was playing extremely well, as was the rest of the team. They were all communicating well, and they were ahead by one point when the final buzzer had gone off. They had won the championship game. They had come in first place. The season had ended with them on top. After the game, Louis felt like he was on cloud nine and the team celebrated, Niall even coming up to him to tell him good game. 

In the locker room, Liam walked up to him, followed closely by Zayn. “Are you coming to the party tonight?” Liam asked him. 

Louis hesitated. He wanted to go, he really did. He wanted to celebrate with the team. --But he wasn’t sure if he was really welcome there. “I don’t--” he began, but he was cut off. 

“You have to go, Louis. You’re a big part of the reason why we even made it this far this season. Don’t be an asshole, just agree to come,” Zayn said, giving him a small smile. Louis could tell that Liam had probably talked to him, and he wasn’t stupid. He knew things weren’t magically better between them. But this was progress. 

“Yeah, okay. I’ll come,” he agreed. 

The party was held at Ethan’s house off campus. The music was blaring, alcohol was flowing freely, and Louis was not staying away. He wanted to get wasted. He wanted to forget everything and just let loose. He wanted to have a good night. 

He was already tipsy when he snuck out the back door, beer in one hand, the other pulling his pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket. He put one in his mouth, quickly lighting it and taking a long drag. The tight feeling in his chest was almost comfortable as he exhaled the smoke. 

“Those are disgusting, Louis,” he heard a voice behind him say. “How can you stand the smoke?” he asked, shaking his head. 

“You get used to it,” Louis answered, biting down on his lip. “Hazza, I--” 

“No, Lou, let me talk,” he said, interrupting. “Liam told me what you said, about why you did what you did,” he started. “It was really dumb,” Harry said, simply. 

“I know it was, Haz. I’m so sorry,” Louis said, shaking his head. “I can’t explain to you how sorry I am.” 

“I know,” Harry answered. 

“Harry, I really like you. I was planning on breaking up with her that weekend when she came here. I wanted to break up with her so that… So that maybe we could have figured things out with us,” he said, honestly, the alcohol in his system making him brave. 

“I wish you would have told me about her before we started… Whatever it was that we were doing,” Harry said. 

“I know. I should have told you, Harry. I really should have. I’m so sorry,” he said. “Please, you have to believe me,” Louis pleaded. 

“I do believe you, Lou,” Harry said. 

Louis took another long drag of his cigarette as they fell into silence. 

Harry broke the silence, looking over at Louis. “He told me about your scholarship, too, Louis. You didn’t have to hide that from us either,” he said. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Money doesn’t mean anything. We wouldn’t have looked down on you for it, Lou.” 

“I know,” Louis said, a sigh leaving his lips. “I guess it’s just embarrassing. My family doesn’t have shit, Haz. I didn’t want --I didn’t want you to realize that I didn’t come from the same world as you guys.” 

They fell into comfortable silence once again as Harry weighed Louis’ words. Instead of commenting on the sensitive topic, he changed the subject. “I really like you too, Lou. I still do,” Harry finally said. “And I know that you’re sorry,” he said. 

“Harry, I really want to kiss you right now,” Louis admitted, the alcohol in his system directing his words. 

“Louis, if we’re doing this, it’s for real. There can’t be anymore ‘friends who kiss’ shit. If we’re doing this, it’s real. We both have to be all in,” Harry said, voice quiet. 

“I’m all in, Hazza. I’m all in if you are.” 

“I’m all in too.” 

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Harry leaned in, his lips meeting Louis’. After a few moments, he pulled back, his forehead leaning against Louis’. “You taste like smoke, Lou,” he said, but he had a small smile on his lips. 

“Rumor has it smoke is pretty addictive,” Louis said, cheekily. 

Harry smiled, leaning in to kiss Louis again. They stayed like that, the two of them alone on the back porch, lazily kissing as the party lived on in the house behind them. That’s how Zayn, Liam, and Niall found them, happily wrapped up in each other almost an hour later. The other three boys seemed to understand, and they gathered around them on the porch, all five of them falling into easy conversation as the party died down inside the house. 

Maybe it wasn’t exactly the same as it was. Maybe things weren’t perfect just yet, but with everything that had happened, Louis couldn’t deny that it was a pretty good way to end the year.


	7. Chapter Seven

#  PART TWO - JUNIOR YEAR 

The windows were down, the music was up way too high, and Louis was speeding down the nearly empty road. The freedom that came with his driver’s license was a much appreciated change in his life, seeing as he didn’t have to wait for his mother’s approval before taking off if he wanted to go further than down the street.

As he drove, singing the lyrics to a random classic rock song at the top of his lungs, he heard his phone go off with a new notification. He looked down curiously, and seeing the notification read Harry’s name, he carefully unlocked his phone and brought up the message, keeping his eyes on the road as he read the text 

‘ can’t wait to see you lou! ‘ 

Louis smiled down at his phone, glancing up to look at the road quickly before replying. He had gotten all of the lectures against texting and driving, but when the temptation was there, it was too hard to ignore. 

‘ can’t wait to see you either. on my way now!! ‘ 

Louis quickly pressed send before locking his phone and turning his attention back to the road. 

The plan to visit Harry for the first time had been last minute. He, Harry, Liam, Zayn, and Niall had been on a group video chat when the idea came up. “What time do you want us over there tomorrow, Haz?” Niall asked, breaking the pause between topics of conversation. 

“I don’t know, if you guys want you can come around five or six? My mom is going to be in meetings all day, but she’ll just leave us money to order pizzas or something,” he said, his face barely visible on the screen. Harry was the type of person to be easily distracted while video chatting, leaving his phone leaning against his bed frame and moving to do something else. 

The other three boys agreed while Louis sat in silence. He lived so far away from the other boys that it was almost impossible for him to tag along when they went out to lunch or decided last minute to meet up and have a movie night. 

“Lou, didn’t you just get your license?” Liam asked, as if it had just occurred to him. 

“Yeah, finally convinced my mom to let me take the test,” he answered. 

“So you could just drive over here then!” Niall said, excitement obvious even through the phone. 

Things had gotten a lot better between the five boys since the end of the school year. Liam, Zayn, and Niall had all decided to forgive him after the party. Although it was awkward at first, the situation improved quickly. By this point, the boys had grown even closer than they were before Louis’ lies came to light. 

Louis bit down on his lip, looking behind him at his closed door. “I’ll have to talk to my mom about it. I'm not sure what her hours are at work tomorrow. She might need me to watch my sisters,” Louis explained, frowning at his phone. 

“Don’t you guys have a babysitter or something?” Liam asked. 

Even though the boys all knew that Louis was attending Grand Ridge on financial aid, none of them realized just how little money Louis’ family had. —And Louis was fine with that. He didn’t want their pity. He didn’t want his family’s financial status to make him seem like a charity case. He didn’t want it to be just one more thing that made them different. 

“Oh, yeah, we do. She’s on vacation, though,” Louis lied. “Will be until the end of the month, I think. My mom is a bit too generous. Didn’t really want to say no, so I’ve been helping out with watching them a little bit,” he added. “I’ll ask her, though, see if it’s possible,” he finished. 

“Go ask now, Lou,” Harry said, his face reappearing on the phone. “I miss you,” he said, a pout forming on his lips. 

The other boys delivered with their best acting skills, fake gags and all. 

Louis flipped them off through the phone screen, a smile on his face. “Fine, I’ll go ask,” he said. “Be right back,” he added, setting his phone on the table. 

Things between Louis and his mother had been awkward. Although Louis came home with decent grades, and he hadn’t gotten into any real trouble at Grand Ridge, there was still a tense air between them. They both had a lot of unspoken thoughts, neither willing to be the first to bring up the conversation. So instead, they settled for forced civility, usually opting for silence. 

Louis walked down the stairs towards the kitchen, knowing that was where his mom would be. “Hey, mom. Do you think grandma could watch the girls tomorrow? A few friends from school are wanting me to hang out,” he said. 

“Lou, it’s a bit late to be asking her,” his mother sighed, looking up at the clock. “But I’ll give her a call and see. She told me the other day to let her know if we needed any help, so she might be willing,” she added. 

“Thanks,” Louis said, forcing a smile on his face. He waited, busying himself with putting away dishes, while his mother dialled the number. 

The conversation felt like it lasted forever while Louis waited for a response. Finally, she hung up, giving him a quick look. “She said she could do it,” she said. “But we can’t make it a habit of getting her to help. It’s not fair to your grandmother,” his mother told him, a small frown on her face. 

“I won’t make a habit of it. Thanks,” Louis said, quickly, already on his way back upstairs to tell his friends. 

The next day, Louis had the time of his life. It was exactly what he had always pictured when people would talk about the perfect summer memories. From that day forward, the visits to Harry’s house became more frequent. By this point in the summer, Louis was spending nearly every day his mother had off with Harry. 

Louis had been so focused on his thoughts when he heard a loud car horn blaring a warning towards him, he quickly swerved back into his own lane. It was almost too close, but he was safe. 

Louis paid closer attention to the road for the rest of the long drive, finally making it to Harry’s house after what felt like a lifetime driving. 

As soon as Louis pulled into the driveway, he looked up at Harry’s large house. Considering Harry’s mother lived there alone for the better part of the year, Louis couldn’t believe how massive it was. He didn’t understand how Anne could manage being completely alone when Harry was at Grand Ridge and Gemma was off at university. 

He shook the thought out of his head, quickly getting out of his car while slamming the door behind him. He walked up to the front door, knocking on it twice. Before long, the door was opening and Louis was greeted by Anne. “Hi, darling. Harry’s up in his room if you want to go ahead and head up there,” she said, giving him a warm smile. 

“Thanks,” he said, giving her a winning smile before heading off towards Harry’s room. 

Louis couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous towards his boyfriend. Not only did Harry’s family have more money than they knew what to do with, but he was also extremely close with his mother and sister. Harry and his family had the type of relationship that Louis craved with his own family, the one that he used to have. 

He ignored the thoughts running through his head, choosing to focus on his boyfriend that he could already see through his half-opened bedroom door instead. “Hey, Haz,” he said, pushing the door open just enough to get through. 

“Louis!” Harry said, almost jumping up from where he was sitting to meet his boyfriend half way, planting a kiss on his lips. “Missed you,” he said, pulling away only slightly, leaving his forehead resting against his. 

“You only saw me two weeks ago,” Louis replied, a warm smile on his face. “But I missed you, too,” he said, leaning in to connect their lips again. 

The two kissed lazily for a few moments before Harry finally pulled back, just enough to where he could talk to Louis. Despite the fact that Harry’s family supported their relationship fully, they tried to keep the public displays of affection to a minimum, even when they were in the not-so-public space of Harry’s room. “Do you want to go kick the ball around, or maybe stay in and watch a movie?” he suggested. 

“A movie sounds nice, it’s too fucking hot to go outside,” Louis said, a lazy grin on his face. “Let me guess, Harold, you already have the Notebook queued up on your laptop?” he questioned, a laugh threatening to spill from his lips. 

“Shut up, Lou, it’s a good movie,” he said, but Louis knew that his boyfriend was only teasing. 

“It’s an awful movie,” Louis argued. “But I’d watch it a hundred times if it meant keeping you happy,” he said, matter-of-factly, already walking towards Harry’s bed to take a seat. Harry was quick to follow, opening his laptop and starting the movie as they cuddled close together, paying more attention to each other than the film on the screen. 

It felt far too soon when the day was ending and Louis had to start his drive back home. They said goodbye, Louis giving Harry a soft kiss before settling into the driver’s seat in his car. Louis sighed quietly as he turned the key, backing out of the driveway. Saying goodbye was his least favorite part about his visits to Harry’s. 

The drive home was uneventful, but by the time Louis had arrived back at his house, he was exhausted from the long day. He fell asleep almost instantly, barely remembering to send Harry a text to let him know that he had made it home safe and sound. 

The next time that Louis saw Harry, he wasn’t prepared at all. He wasn’t expecting any company when he heard a knock at the front door, his mother calling to his younger sister to answer it. Louis stayed in place on the couch, his eyes trained on his phone as he scrolled through social media. “Who are you?” he heard the young girl ask, curiosity filling her voice. 

“My name is Harry,” the voice said from the door, and Louis’ head snapped towards the direction of the front entrance. “Is Louis home?” he asked. 

“LOUIS!” his sister called, running into the room to get him. “Your friend is here,” she said, skipping towards where she was playing dolls with her sisters before she had been interrupted. 

“So you just left him there?” he asked, shaking his head but he was quickly on his feet, walking towards the door. “What are you doing here, Hazza?” he asked, looking around before letting Harry in. 

“I wanted to surprise you,” he said, a grin on his face as he leaned in to give Louis a quick kiss. 

“How did you even find out my address?” he asked. 

“My mom is close with a few of the administrators at school. They bent some rules,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “She said she could drop me off here because she had some meetings a couple of towns over and it was on the way. You don’t have plans or anything, right?” he asked, and Louis could tell he was already thinking it had been a mistake. 

“No, Haz, I didn’t have any plans. Even if I did, I would have cancelled. I just wish you would have given me a heads up,” he said, a small smile on his face. 

“Lou, who is it?” Louis’ mother interrupted, walking into the entrance. “Oh, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Jay, Louis’ mom,” she said. 

“Mom, this is Harry. He goes to Grand Ridge, he plays on the team with me,” he said, biting down on his lip. “And he’s my boyfriend,” he said, the words falling quickly from his lips. 

His mother gave him a shocked look, but she quickly hid her expression. It had just occurred to Louis that he hadn’t even told his mother that he and Eleanor had broken up, even though she had probably assumed considering she hadn’t been around at all over the summer. “It’s nice to meet you, Harry,” she said, giving him a warm smile. “We’re getting ready to have lunch if you’d like to come and eat with us,” she added. 

“That’d be great, thanks,” Harry said, giving her a winning smile. As Louis’ mother turned away, Harry quickly grabbed Louis’ hand, holding it as they walked into the kitchen. 

Things were going fairly well as they ate. The conversation was flowing nicely, better than it had the entire summer. Louis and his mother had even carried a full conversation without either of them getting heated. It was strangely nice. 

“So Harry,” Louis’ mom began, turning to look at the boy. “How do you like Grand Ridge?” 

“It’s great, really. My mom is friends with a lot of the administration there, so I’ve kinda grown up there,” Harry explained. “My sister went there before she graduated, and she always really liked it too,” he added. 

“I’m so glad to hear that. At first I was really worried for Lou, but it turns out the school really has been good for him. When he was expelled from Westr—” she replied, but she was cut off. 

“Mom!” Louis snapped, quickly dropping Harry’s hand from where he was holding it under the table. He quickly looked between Harry’s confused face to his mother’s shocked one before standing up and sprinting towards the stairs. As soon as he was in his room, he pulled his nearly empty pack of cigarettes and his lighter out from under his pillow, walking over to crack the window slightly. He quickly lit the cigarette, inhaling the smoke and holding it in for a long moment before exhaling. 

As soon as he breathed out the smoke, he heard a light knock at his door before hearing it creak open slowly. 

“Lou, can we talk?” Harry asked, quietly shutting the door behind him and walking up to Louis. “I don’t care about whatever happened,” he said, quickly. “Like, whatever happened to get you in trouble, it doesn’t matter.” 

“It was just a stupid prank,” Louis said, the words coming out quietly. Before continuing, he took another long drag of his cigarette, holding in the smoke until his lungs burned. “I just used a set of keys that my coach told me about to get in, wrote on some lockers. They said that it was the final straw or whatever,” he mumbled, not meeting Harry’s eye. 

That wasn’t the whole story, but it was the story Louis was sticking with. It was the story the school had given. It was the story his mother had heard. It was the story that Eleanor and Noah had been convinced of. As far as anyone knew, that was the real story. 

“It’s fine, Lou. I don’t care about that,” Harry said, placing a hand on his shoulder, urging him to meet his eye. He hesitated before saying the next words that came to mind. “I just don’t know why you didn’t tell me,” he said, shaking his head. 

“Harry, look at your life and then look at mine.” Louis paused for a moment, carefully considering his next words. “ There was never any doubt that you’d get into Grand Ridge, and I shouldn’t have gotten in, Haz. I shouldn’t be there, but I am, and that’s just because I’m lucky.” 

“I couldn’t afford to go there like you could. It’s not like I can just decide to tag along when you and the guys are making plans, because we can’t even afford a fucking babysitter for my sisters. I’m not like you and Liam and Zayn and Niall. It’s… embarrassing, I guess,” he said, looking up to meet Harry’s eyes. 

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Louis. There’s nothing wrong with any of that,” Harry said, gently pulling Louis towards him, encouraging him to stand before leaning in and giving him a long kiss. As soon as he pulled away, he bit down on his lip. “I love you just the way you are,” he said. 

“I love you, too, Harry,” Louis said, his eyes locked on Harry’s. They’d barely been together, really together, for three months. It was all moving so quickly between them, and Louis was prepared to jump in without a life jacket. 

The summer was coming to a close, but things were really just beginning for Louis and Harry.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoy the chapter!!

“How was your summer break, Mr. Tomlinson?” Dean Greenwood asked, leaning forward in his desk chair to place his elbows on the large desk that was separating him and Louis. This was the part that Louis wished he could skip. The small talk. He knew that it was just an introduction into the more serious conversation that was bound to come. 

“It was pretty good, I spent a lot of time practicing,” he answered, emphasizing that he was serious about the team. “I spent some time preparing for this semester’s classes, too. Read over the online syllabuses and everything, and got a pretty good idea of what the workload would be like,” he added.

He was desperately trying to prove that he was dedicated. He hadn’t resigned his scholarship papers yet, and he knew that after the previous year, they probably weren’t too eager to just let him sign. 

“I’m glad to hear you’ve been taking both athletics and your studies seriously, Louis,” the dean said. “It would be foolish of us to not notice how much you did for the athletics department last year,” he added. It was true, and Louis knew it. He wasn’t being overly-confident, either. He had brought a lot to the team in the previous year. Anyone with even the smallest amount of soccer knowledge could see that the team was better with him. 

“I am slightly worried, though, about the actions you displayed when it came to academics last year,” he said, a sigh falling from his lips. “Louis, we really want you to continue as a student at this school, and I’m well aware of your financial situation. That’s why we’ve made the decision to renew your scholarship,” he said, pulling the papers out from a drawer on his desk. “But I have to warn you. Your marks slipped dangerously low last year. If it happens again, we’ll have no choice but to stop funding your scholarship and offer it to another potential student. You’re extremely talented, Louis, but there are other talented prospects out there.” 

“It won’t happen again,” Louis promised, watching as Dean Greenwood kept hold of the scholarship agreement forms. “There was some personal stuff that came up last year that distracted me from my studies, but I can promise you that it won’t happen again,” he said. 

Dean Greenwood sighed, setting the papers and a pen down in front of Louis. “I hope you’re right, Louis. You’re a good addition here at Grand Ridge,” he said. “Not only have you excelled athletically, but I’ve seen a real turnaround from the way you presented yourself in your first meeting with me. When your former coach approached me about offering you the scholarship, I’ll admit, I was hesitant—” 

“Luke recommended me for the scholarship?” Louis interrupted, his eyes wide. He knew that the dean had spoken to his former coach before he had been accepted into the school, but he hadn’t realized that Luke was the entire reason he was there. 

“I figured he would have told you, Louis. I wasn’t aware that he hadn’t talked to you about it,” the dean said, obviously shocked that it had been kept quiet. “As I was saying, I was hesitant when he approached me, recommending you for the scholarship. But he spoke so highly of your character, saying you only needed real guidance, I had made my decision to take his word. I was hoping I would be smart to do so, and it turns out I was,” he finished. 

Once Louis had gotten over the shock of the news, he quickly grabbed the pen, scribbling his name on the papers. “Is there anything else? I’m planning on meeting up with Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan,” Louis told the man, knowing that by dropping the respected names he was more likely to get away unscathed. 

“Your coach asked me to give you this, but seeing as you’re meeting with other members of the team, I’ll go ahead and make a few copies if you wouldn’t mind delivering them,” Dean Greenwood said, already walking towards his copier. “It’s your game schedule for this year,” he explained, handing Louis five copies of the paper. 

“Thank you,” he said, grabbing the papers without even looking at the contents. He quickly left the office, closing the door behind him. He pulled out his phone, clicking on the group chat the five boys were in. He sent a quick message informing them that his meeting was over and he’d be free anytime once they started to arrive on campus. 

The five boys had agreed to move into their dorms a couple days before term started in order to get settled. Zayn and Louis had agreed to board together again, still in room 280, signing a roommate agreement at registration. Harry would be getting a single dorm again, and Liam and Niall were both paired with different boys in their year. 

Louis looked down at his phone as he received a notification seeing that it was from Harry. The notification came through their private messages instead of the group chat. 

‘ just got here, but think i’m the first. come to my room until they get here? ‘ 

Louis quickly opened the message in order to type a quick response. 

‘ of course, i’ll be there soon. ‘ 

As soon as he pressed send, he was on his way towards his boyfriend’s room. Louis walked the familiar path to the familiar boarding hall, walking through the familiar hallways before arriving at the familiar single dorm room. Everything about the school seemed to become familiar overnight. There were some days when Grand Ridge felt more like home than his real home. 

He knocked once, and Harry was almost too-fast at opening the door, greeting him with a quick kiss. “Hey, Lou,” he said, pulling him in and shutting the door behind him. “How did the meeting with Greenwood go?” he asked. 

“It was okay,” Louis answered, shrugging his shoulders. He was somehow getting worse and worse at keeping things from Harry. 

“What happened?” he asked, sitting down on his bed and pulling his boyfriend close. 

Louis sighed, a moment of hesitance before he started talking. “I knew it was coming,” he started, a small frown on his face. “But when everything was going on last year —when you and the guys weren’t talking to me, my grades got pretty low without Payno’s help,” he explained, taking a moment to pause. “He just told me that if they ended up falling again, I would lose my scholarship,” he said, biting down on his lip. 

“We won’t let it happen, Lou,” Harry said, hugging Louis close to him. “If you talk to Liam you know that he’ll be happy to help you out. He’s an idiot, but he’s a smart idiot,” Harry reminded him, trying his best to put a smile on Louis’ face. 

It worked. “You’re right. I’ll never understand how our little Payno managed to get to the top of the class,” he said, feigning pride. 

“Speak of the devil,” Harry said, a grin on his face as his notifications went off. “Looks like they’re all close. Zayn can’t find the keycard they gave him at registration, so he’ll need you to go let him in your room,” he said, shaking his head. 

“Well, let’s go greet our irresponsible friends, shall we?” Louis replied, a goofy grin on his face. 

“Yeah, Lou, let’s go,” Harry said, a laugh falling from his lips. Right before they got to the door, Harry put a hand on Louis’ arm. “You’re gonna talk to Liam, right? And the other guys? We can help you, Louis,” he said, his voice serious. 

Louis’ smile fell, but he nodded. “Yeah. I’m gonna talk to them,” he agreed. 

Harry gave him a soft smile, “I’m glad, Louis,” he said. 

Harry let go of Louis’ arm, as they started to leave the room, Harry glancing back at his bed and noticing the papers sitting there. “Wait, Lou, what are these?” he asked, walking back to grab them and bringing them back to hand off to Louis. 

“Oh, yeah, I almost forget,” Louis answered, a small laugh accompanying his words. “Dean Greenwood gave them to me, it’s the game schedule for this year,” he said, handing Harry one before looking down. 

As soon as he saw the words on the paper, he tensed. 

Home — Westridge — August 21st. 

Their first home game of the season was going to be against Louis’ old school. Louis’ old teammates, his old friends, would be coming to his new school. Luke would be coming to his new school. 

Harry, too busy looking through the scheduled games, didn’t notice the change in Louis. “Come on, let’s go meet the guys,” Louis said, quickly, needing a distraction. He grabbed Harry’s hand, basically pulling him out the door. 

It wasn’t long before Harry and Louis got to room 280, coming into contact with a very grumpy looking Zayn. “Can’t believe you lost your key already, man,” Louis said, a smile on his face. He needed to think about anything other than the game that would be coming up in just a few short days, and teasing Zayn just so happened to be the perfect distraction. 

“Shut the fuck up, Lewis,” Zayn mumbled, shaking his head. “I really don’t know where I left it, but I’m sure my mom will find it eventually,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Until then I’ll just take one that I gave to one of these assholes,” he said, gesturing towards Harry. 

“Speaking of assholes, where are Liam and Niall?” Louis asked, looking around as if expecting them to pop up. 

“They do have their own rooms you know, Lou,” Harry cut in, an amused smile on his face. 

“I know they have rooms, Harold. It’s just that they spend so much time in mine and Zaynie’s here, I sometimes forget they don’t live with us,” Louis said, throwing an arm around Zayn’s shoulder as he quickly unlocked the door. 

As they walked in, they were greeted with the sight of Louis’ unpacked bags piled high on his bed and the floor surrounding it. “What the fuck, Lou?” Zayn asked, throwing Louis’ arm off his shoulder and kicking aside one of his bags on the floor between their beds. 

“I had a meeting to get to, Zayn. I had to be punctual, didn’t I?” he asked, sarcastically. 

“Whatever, Louis,” Zayn replied, rolling his eyes. 

It wasn’t long before Liam and Niall joined the three boys, making themselves comfortable in the room. Liam was even more attached to Zayn than normal, and Niall, Harry, and Louis all gave each other a look that said, ‘what happened there?’ 

Neither Liam or Zayn brought it up. Instead, the two just decided to sit so close together that Liam was basically on Zayn’s lap. 

They all ignored it, but Louis made it a note in his mind to ask Zayn as soon as they were alone. 

The next few days went by quickly, and before long, the new school year was in full swing. They had been attending soccer practices almost daily, the new senior captain desperate for a repeat winning season. Their current practice was coming to a close, all of the boys huddled close together as their coach spoke. “Okay, boys. Get plenty of rest, because tomorrow’s game is going to be a tough one. We’re playing against Westridge, and they have a good team this year. But we’re better. We have more talent. Let’s start the season off strong,” he said, dismissing them all for the day. 

Louis was quiet as they walked towards the locker room, not even commenting on Liam and Niall’s argument over which major league team was better. “Everything okay, Tommo?” Zayn asked after a few minutes, noticing the boy’s silence. Usually he would jump right in, egging one of the two boys on to escalate the argument just for the enjoyment it would bring. 

“I think I’m gonna talk to Coach and see if I can sit out tomorrow’s game,” he said, saying the words as they entered his brain. 

“What? You can’t, Louis! We need you out there,” Niall said, reacting quickly. 

“Why would you not want to play in the first game of the season?” Liam asked at the same time, confusion obvious in his voice. 

“We’re playing Westridge,” Louis said, as if that was a simple enough explanation. 

The other boys still looked confused. 

“It’s his old school, idiots,” Harry said, rolling his eyes and wrapping an arm around Louis’ waist as they walked. “Lou, I get that they’re your friends, but we need you. We aren’t as good of a team without you,” he told him. 

Louis sighed softly. He wished it was as easy as not wanting to play against his old friends. “Yeah, I guess it was dumb anyways,” he said, shaking his head. “You guys are right.” 

The next day came quickly, and Louis wasn’t prepared at all. He had been practicing harder than ever, mostly hoping that it would give him a distraction, but he still didn’t feel like he had done enough as he watched across the field as his old teammates, his old friends, walked on. His eyes were automatically drawn to Noah, who was already looking his way. The two hadn’t even spoken since Louis transferred. 

By the time the rest of the Westridge team was on the field, Louis’ eyes had wandered elsewhere, to where Luke was gathering the team together. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to look away. He couldn’t let Luke control him. 

Before long, the game was starting and Louis was more on edge than usual. He was playing a more aggressive game than he usually would, but he was still playing clean enough that he could get away with it. He wasn’t scoring at the same rate he usually did, but his defense was extraordinary. When Louis finally had the ball in his possession and he started going towards his goal, he was shoved by someone on the opposite team: Noah. 

“What the fuck, man?” Louis called out, quickly getting back to his feet and moving towards Noah. Usually he wouldn’t be this aggressive. Usually he would let it roll off of his shoulders. But this wasn’t usual. 

“Can’t even take a little hit, Tommo?” he asked, a sarcastic laugh coming out of his mouth. 

Louis was about to charge when he felt a hand on his shoulder holding him back. Zayn was right there, leaning in to whisper to Louis. “It’s not worth it, man, come on,” he said, trying to pull Louis back from the soon-to-be fight. 

“So this is the guy you left El for? What the fuck man, I really thought she was messing with me at first,” he said, shaking his head as he let out a rude laugh. “What, does he pay you or something? Guess it makes sense. Some people will do anything for a little extra cash.” 

Louis was ready to charge again when Zayn leaned in close, whispering in his ear. “Your scholarship, Lou. This asshole isn’t worth it.” 

Zayn was right. By getting into a fight, he would be giving up his scholarship. He couldn’t lose it. 

Louis’ attention was drawn away as he heard a voice calling from the opposing bench. “Leave Tomlinson alone and play the damn game, Noah!” At the sound of Luke’s voice, Louis felt like he was going to be sick. But all he wanted at that point was to destroy Westridge. 

“Whatever,” Louis said, quickly turning in the opposite direction, going back to his position. The ref gave him a warning look, and Louis held his hands up in mock surrender. 

The rest of the game went smoothly, but it was a fight to the finish. In the end, the score was 4-3. It was one of the most difficult games Louis had played in his life, but they came out on top. 

As soon as the team had celebrated the win, they went back to the center of the field to shake hands and congratulate Westridge on a game well played. Louis’ face was smug, especially when it came time to shake Noah’s hand. It wasn’t until he got to the end of the line and his old coach put a hand on his shoulder that the panicked feeling came back. As soon as he had gotten out of line, he quickly went off to the locker room. 

As soon as he went inside, the door shut behind him, he let his anger out. He brought his fist back, punching the first locker as hard as he possibly could, a sob falling from his lips. He quickly fell to the ground in front of the row of lockers, his head between his knees as tears fell down his face. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that he had to deal with Noah’s hatred. It wasn’t fair that he had to see how much his old team despised him. It wasn’t fair that he had to see his old coach, the man who was at one point more like a father figure, who had ruined everything. It wasn’t fair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to my gc, i'm so sorry for the cliffhanger. i'm expecting to be yelled at as soon as you finish reading.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you like the new chapter!!

As the celebrations of a difficult game won continued on the field, Harry looked all around for Louis. “Do you know where Lou is?” Harry called to Zayn, Liam, and Niall, his voice barely heard over the screaming from the crowd and the rowdy boys on their team. 

“No idea,” Zayn answered, shaking his head. 

“Locker room, maybe?” Liam suggested. 

“I’m gonna go look and see if I can find him,” Harry decided, and the other boys quickly agreed. They all headed off to the locker room early, Harry leading the way. When they got there, what they walked in on was not what they expected to see. 

Louis was sat on the ground in front of a row of lockers, his header resting on his knees as tears fell freely down his face. Harry quietly closed the door behind the boys, and carefully stepped towards Louis. “Babe, what’s wrong?” he asked, leaning down beside his boyfriend and putting a hand on his shoulder. Louis was shaking. 

Louis flinched at the physical contact, but he calmed quickly when he realized it was Harry. When he finally looked up, his eyes were red. He quickly looked between his friends and Harry, the words caught in his throat. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t do this. 

Zayn was the next to walk closer, taking a seat across from Louis, but not saying anything. He just looked at him, a worried expression on his face as he showed his support for his friend. 

Liam and Niall were quick to follow, and before long, they were all seated in a semi circle around the crying boy. “Is this all about that asshole, Lou? He’s not worth it man, he’s an idiot,” Zayn said, trying to calm his friend. 

Louis stayed silent for a moment, tears falling down his face and his body shaking. “I thought I would be okay. I thought I would be able to see him. Nothing fucking happened, I’m just overreating,” he said, his words coming out almost too quick to understand. 

“Lou, what are you talking about?” Niall asked, his voice gentle. It was rare for the blonde to be so serious, but he could tell his friend was hurting, even if he was confused about why. 

Louis just started to shake harder, tears falling faster. “Hey, calm down, Lou,” Liam said, trying to comfort his friend to the best of his abilities. He quickly looked between Zayn, Niall, and Harry. “We need to get him back to his and Z’s. The team will be here before long,” he said, knowing that Louis wouldn’t want them to see him in this state. Hell, Liam knew that Louis probably didn’t want them to see him like this. 

The other boys quickly agreed, Harry whispering softly in Louis’ ear. “Come on, babe, we’re gonna get you back to your dorm. We can talk later, okay?” 

Louis was still furious. He was still sad. He was still scared. But he nodded slowly, moving to stand up. He was still shaky, Harry putting a hand around his waist to keep him steady. As they walked back to Louis’ dorm, the opposing team’s bus came to view as they were loading on. By the time they noticed, though, it was too late and Noah’s attention was already on them. 

“Good game, Tomlinson,” he said, before Louis really came into view, his voice filled to the brim with sarcasm. When he really saw Louis’ face, he shook his head. “What the fuck, man,” he said, a harsh laugh accompany his words. “Are you really going to go cry because of a bit of trash talk? This place really has changed you. Glad I dodged a bullet with this friendship.” 

“Noah, fuck off,” Louis said, as confidently as he could muster with tears still in his eyes and his hands still shaking. 

“Whatever, Tomlinson. Have a good life,” he said, rolling his eyes and running back to the bus. Before he walked up the three steps leading to the seating, he turned around. “Oh, and don’t worry. El’s being taken care of, she’s in good hands,” he said, giving Louis a smirk and then quickly entering the bus, the door closing behind him. 

“Lou, don’t worry about him. He’s just an asshole,” Liam said quickly, not wanting Louis to react like he had before. 

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” Louis replied, his voice completely monotone, not even realizing the words had left his mouth. His eyes were trained on the face looking at him through the window on the first seat in the bus. His eyes were on Luke, and they stayed there until the bus began driving away and Harry gently pulled him back towards him, encouraging him to walk back to the dorm. 

By the time they got back to the dorm, Louis had mainly calmed down. Pure anger had replaced the fear and sadness that he had felt before as he threw his duffle bag on the floor, kicking it under his bed. Louis had torn himself away from Harry before the five boys entered the room, so Harry just walked up to him carefully as Louis threw himself onto his bed. “Babe,” he began, “please tell us what’s going on,” he pleaded. 

“Well,” Louis said, a humorless laugh leaving his lips. “You met my old best friend Noah,” he said, rolling his eyes. “A real charmer, isn’t he?” he said. He had to make it seem like Noah was the only thing wrong. He couldn’t tell them what was really bothering him. 

“Come on, Lou. You said he wasn’t the one you were worried about,” Zayn said, shaking his head. “Man, you know we love you. We just want to help, but it’s been secret after secret since you got here. You need to be real with us. What’s going on?” he asked, and although his words were harsh, his voice was soft. 

Louis looked between his four friends, and his anger faded slightly. Zayn was right. He’d been keeping secrets from them for the better part of half of a year. He looked at Harry, and he broke. “I lied to you, Hazza,” he said. 

“What?” Harry asked, stepping towards him just a little bit. “What are you talking about?” 

“About why I was expelled,” he said, and he quickly received three confused glances, but he ignored them. “I told you it was because of that stupid prank. And I mean, it technically was. That’s what they told me and my mom, but that wasn’t all,” he said. 

The boys stayed quiet, waiting for Louis to elaborate. 

Louis stayed silent for a moment. He had only told one person about the situation before, and it had resulted in his expulsion. “I definitely did the pranks and all of that shit,” Louis explained. “But it wasn’t a huge deal. I would get a detention or something like that,” he said. “Luke, my old coach, would usually get me out of any real trouble,” he added. 

Louis took a deep breath, a pause in his explanation before continuing. “Luke was great, honestly. I… I didn’t grow up with a dad, and he kinda stepped in, yeah? Like he helped me with school at first, and told me I could come to talk to him if I needed anything. Then he started to help me more with any personal problems I had. We were just getting closer,” Louis said, closing his eyes. 

“It was really great to have someone who cared. I mean, I had my mom, but she just wasn’t the same. There were some things I just couldn’t talk to her about,” Louis said, his voice quiet. He missed the relationship that he had with his mother before all of this started. He wished more than anything that they could get it back. 

“He started helping me out, getting alcohol and cigarettes, sometimes even weed if I asked him too,” Louis said. “We would drink together, sometimes, but it was no big deal. I started drinking a bit too much, never really could stop until the option wasn’t there anymore,” Louis admitted. “I wasn’t like, addicted or anything. It just helped, it was fun,” Louis explained. 

“The lines started to blur at some point, and we were more like friends than a coach and athlete,” he said. He stayed quiet for a moment, his voice getting shaky. “He kinda moved in on me once, but I pushed him away and that was that. He stopped, but it was a wake up call.” 

“I went to the principal the next day, and he said they would take care of it. But then a few days later me and my mom were called in and they told me I was being expelled. They told us it was because of that fucking prank, but I know they were just protecting Luke,” he said, shaking his head. He stayed silent for a few minutes, his eyes closed. “I haven’t told anyone else.” 

The boys were quiet for a moment, all of them staring at Louis until Liam spoke up. “Lou, that’s… You have to tell someone. What they did, what he did, that’s not okay. It’s all illegal,” he said. “You have to talk to someone.” 

“No!” Louis said, quickly. “I tried to tell someone and they didn’t fucking listen. I’m over it now,” he said, and although the words were obviously untrue after seeing how he reacted at the game, he continued. “I really am. I’m here now, and my life is so much fucking better than it ever has been. I don’t care anymore, I really don’t.” 

“Louis, at least talk to your mom about it,” Niall suggested. “Maybe if you talk to her, she can help,” he said. 

“She won’t believe me,” Louis said, before he could stop himself. “Things are so fucked up between us now, ever since I was expelled it’s like she doesn’t trust me,” he said, defeat obvious in his voice. “It doesn’t matter.” In reality, Louis didn’t want to ruin things. Louis was doing well at Grand Ridge, and he and his mother were on the road to recovery. He couldn’t ruin that by tearing open old wounds. Things still weren’t great between them, but they were getting better. He couldn’t throw away all of that progress. 

The boys clearly didn’t understand, but they wanted to support their friend, so they agreed to drop the topic for the time being. However, none of them wanting to leave Louis alone, they all fell asleep scattered around room 280, Louis wrapped securely in Harry’s arms. 

After that day, things started to go back to normal. The other boys didn’t bring it up, not wanting to upset Louis further, and Louis sure as hell wasn’t going to bring it up either. He regretted telling them, because it had opened up a part of his past he was trying his best to ignore. 

But things were going back to normal, and normal was something that Louis could handle. He attended classes. He and Liam spent free periods in the library studying, and Louis’ grades were high. He went to practices after classes had finished for the day, training as hard as he could. They needed a good season. His free time was spent in Harry’s room, watching movies until the two fell asleep, or in room 280 with his four best friends. Things were going back to normal, and normal was something that Louis craved. 

There was one thing that wasn’t so normal, though, and Louis was only reminded of it after Liam and Zayn had spent the better half of their lunch hour staring at each other. It wasn’t until classes were over, and Louis and Zayn were alone in their dorm room, that Louis was able to question him. 

“So what’s going on with you and Liam?” he asked, getting straight to the point. 

Zayn rolled his eyes, but he definitely looked shocked. “What are you talking about?” he asked. 

“I’m not dumb, I have eyes, Zayn,” he said, a grin on his face. “So what’s going on between you and our little Payno?” Louis asked. “And don’t say nothing, because even when you aren’t together he’s totally distracted by you. I see the constant notifications when we’re studying together,” Louis said, smirking. 

Zayn sighed, throwing a pillow at Louis. “I hate you,” he said, but there was a grin on his face. “We… Talked a bit. Over summer break. We decided we were going to see what happened between us,” he said. “We weren’t going to say anything until we were sure, didn’t want to make things awkward between all of us if it didn’t work out,” Zayn explained. “But I really like him,” Zayn admitted. 

“Oh, really? I never would have guessed,” Louis teased, a grin on his face. 

“Oh fuck off,” he said, a laugh leaving his lips. “But Lou, if you can just keep it between us that you know? We were planning on telling you guys soon, we were just trying to figure out when would be a good time with—” Zayn cut himself off, but Louis knew where he was going. With everything Louis had opened up to them about, they didn’t want to drop another surprise. 

“Yeah, I can stay quiet about it, Z,” Louis promised, his smile faded slightly. “But you should just tell them,” he said. “We can double up on Niall, make him super uncomfortable,” he said, a laugh accompanying his words. Things were going back to normal.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i hope you like the chapter!!

The day’s practice was coming to an end, and between the muddy grass and the rainy weather, Louis felt disgusting. He wanted nothing more than to change out of his practice jersey and take a quick shower, but as soon as they were dismissed from practice, the senior captain called them over for a huddle. “They announced the date for hell day,” he said, shaking his head. 

“What the hell is hell day?” Louis asked, looking around at his teammates. Even though he was feeling more at home at Grand Ridge, like he was really starting to belong, there was still traditions and quirks he just didn’t understand. His teammates weren’t making any jumps to explain, all of them too focused on complaining and groaning to answer his question. 

“Family day,” Harry answered, rolling his eyes. “It’s a dumb tradition. I remember being dragged to it when Gems was enrolled, and they did it last year before you transferred,” he explained. “It’s basically a long day where the school shows off the successes of it’s students. Award ceremonies, a bunch of presentations…” he explained. “Everyone hates it. Hence the nickname hell day,” he finished, shaking his head. 

“Not to mention, the stupid game,” Niall chimed in. “Nothing worse than being forced to scrimmage against a bunch of alumni. It’s embarrassing, like they think they’re still good. It’s a bunch of guys who peaked in high school and want to relive it,” he said, shaking his head. 

“Plus it takes time away that we could be using for practice,” another one of Louis’ teammates brought up. “We have a rough few games coming up, and we really should be preparing. We’re playing against some of the best teams in the division,” he said, and a few guys agreed. 

“Like I said,” the senior captain interrupted, looking around at the group of athletes, “I just wanted to give you all a heads up. It’s a few weekends from today, they have the official dates posted on the main bulletin boards in the dining hall and in front of the main office. They’re planning on calling parents to inform them over the next week,” he said. 

The team was released from practice soon after, and Louis quickly grouped up with Harry, Zayn, Liam, and Niall as they walked towards the locker room. “So is this whole family day thing really as bad as everyone is making it out to be?” he asked, as the five of them distanced themselves from the rest of the team. 

“Worse,” Liam said, rolling his eyes. If Louis noticed the way that he and Zayn were standing, close enough that their hands were brushing with every step, he didn’t say anything about it. “We’re making it sound like the best day ever compared to what it’s really like,” he added. 

“I don’t get it,” Louis said, shaking his head. “I mean, trust me, I get that family can be stressful, but it can’t be that bad,” he said. “I mean, it’s eight hours. How bad can eight hours be?” 

“You’re in for a shock, Lou,” Zayn said, patting his shoulder. It didn’t take much longer for them to get to the locker room. The five boys were quick to change out of their dirty practice gear and shower before leaving the locker room behind. As they left the locker room less than ten minutes later, Louis’ mind was still running wild. How bad could it be? 

It was still a week out from the event, and the entire student body was beyond stressed. Not to mention the teachers, who were giving them three times the normal workload in order to receive new content to display for when the families began arriving on campus. 

The boys were scattered around room 280. They had planned to work on the overwhelming amounts of schoolwork they had been given, but the task at hand was pushed aside almost immediately. Zayn and Liam were sitting close together watching a video on Liam’s phone, Niall was spinning himself around in the desk chair as a means of entertainment, and Louis was laying on his bed, his head resting on Harry’s chest. 

Louis was close to falling asleep when his phone started going off. He picked it up quickly, seeing his mother’s contact name on the screen. Things had been better between the two of them recently, and Louis was trying to keep it that way. They weren’t back to the way they used to be, but it was progress. 

Louis quickly accepted the call, bringing the phone up to his ear. “Hello?” he spoke, getting glances from the other boys. He shook his head, a way of telling them that he’d talk to them in a few minutes. 

“Hey, Lou, how are you?” she asked. 

“I’m good, mom. What’s up?” he asked, curiosity obvious in his voice. Even if things were getting better, it wasn’t exactly normal for Louis to receive calls from her in the middle of the afternoon. 

“I was just calling to let you know I just got a call from the school,” she said. 

Louis sat up so quickly that he caused Harry to jump in surprise. “What? Mom I swear I haven’t done—” 

“No Lou, it’s not like that,” she said, quickly, hearing the panic in his voice. “They were just calling to tell me about Family Day,” she explained. “I just wanted to let you know that me and the girls are planning on coming, I was able to get the day off work,” she said. 

“Oh,” Louis said, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Okay, well I guess I’ll see you guys then, yeah?” he asked. “I should probably get off of here, I’m with Harry and a few other friends,” he said. 

“Oh, yeah, of course Lou. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” she said. “I love you,” she added. 

“Yeah, you too, mom,” he said quickly, hanging up the phone. 

“Is everything all good, babe?” Harry asked, pulling his boyfriend back down beside him. 

“Yeah, everything’s alright,” Louis answered, laying his head back on Harry’s chest and grabbing his hand. “My mom was just calling to tell me that her and my sister’s were coming for family day,” he explained. 

“Oh, well that’s good, yeah?” Harry asked, running his free hand through Louis’ hair. 

“I thought you said the whole day was a living hell,” Louis pointed out. 

“It is. We call it Hell Day for a reason, but it might be nice for you to see them,” he said, softly. “Maybe you and your mom can talk about some stuff..” Harry suggested, his words coming out even slower than normal. 

Louis knew what Harry was trying to say, he knew that he was wanting him to talk to her about the real reason for his expulsion, and he quickly changed the topic. “Yeah, I can’t wait to see the girls. I really miss them when I’m here,” he said. It was true, but anything to distance himself from Harry’s statement was enough. 

All of the boys could feel the tension in the room, so they let the topic of conversation fade, going back to the tasks they were previously focused on. After a few minutes of whispers coming from Zayn’s bed, Liam cleared his throat to get their attention. 

“Guys, we have something to tell you,” he said. Zayn was still beside him, but he had sat up to face the boys. Both boys seemed nervous, and Louis couldn’t help but wonder if this was what he and Zayn had talked about a few weeks before. “Zayn and I are together. Like, as in we’re dating. Each other. So, yeah…” Liam said, not able to stop himself from rambling. “It’s kind of a new thing still, but we just wanted to let you guys know that we’re in a relationship. With each other,” he added.

It wasn’t exactly much of a shock. The two boys had been in their own little world since they were in elementary school. 

“It’s about time,” Harry said, giving them a grin. Niall laughed loudly at Harry’s comment, but he quickly gave Zayn and Liam a smile. 

“I’m happy for you guys. That’s fucking awesome,” Niall said. “But now I’m really a fifth wheel,” he pointed out, frowning. 

“Oh fuck off, Neil,” Louis said, flipping him off, a laugh falling from his lips. 

The five boys fell back into casual conversation, and it was as easy as that. It was like nothing had changed at all. 

The day had finally come, and thoughts were running wild in Louis’ mind. How bad could an eight hour day be? 

The answer, Louis learned, was very bad. 

It wasn’t a horrible day filled with constant negativity, but it was stressful. There were too many people packed into the campus, and everyone was panicking as they tried to get everything perfect. The alumni vs student game went well, even if it was a little bit embarrassing for the alumni team. 

It was nice to see his family. It was nice to be able to spend the day with his sisters, and it was nice being able to see his mother. Ever since transferring, Louis had been falling more and more distant with his family. It was nice to be able to reconnect. 

After the game, Louis brought Zayn, Niall, and Liam to meet his mother, Harry tagging along with them. “Mom, these are a few of my friends. Zayn, Niall, and Liam,” he said, pointing each one out individually. “And you’ve met Hazza a couple of times already,” he said, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand. 

“It’s nice to meet you boys,” she said, giving them all smiles. “I’m glad that Louis has made some good friends here. He’s doing so much better here than he ever did at Westridge,” she said. “Maybe this was all for the better, Lou,” she said, putting a hand on her son’s shoulder. 

Louis was sent four different worried glances. He could hear the silent pleads from his friends, begging him to tell her. 

“Mom, I need to talk to you about some stuff. Just… Before you leave, can you come to my dorm for a few minutes?” he asked, his body tense. He calmed slightly when he felt Harry squeeze his hand. 

That evening, Zayn had agreed to hang out in Liam’s dorm while Louis talked to his mom. Louis told her everything. He told her about the alcohol. About the drinking. About how his former coach had made a move on him. He told her all about how he had gone to the principal of Westridge to report Luke, and about how the next day he had been called in for the meeting regarding his expulsion. 

“God, Lou, why didn’t you ever tell me?” she asked, quickly pulling Louis into a tight hug. “We aren’t going to let him get away with it, baby boy,” she said, softly. 

“I’ve missed you so much, mom,” Louis said, tears falling from his eyes as he clinged tightly to his mother. “I love you so much,” he said. 

“I love you too, Louis. I miss you so much,” she said, holding her son tightly.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy !!!

The end of the semester had come quickly, and Louis was happy. Things with Harry were going great, the soccer team was on a winning streak, he was spending more time with his friends, his relationship with his mother was getting better and better by the day, and, when he got his final report card back, he had all passing grades. Louis couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the semester. Everything was going perfectly. 

When Louis came back home for break though, things quickly went south. He was sitting in his bedroom, door closed and on facetime with Harry, Zayn, Niall, and Louis when his mom knocked on his door softly, sticking her head in. “Hey, Lou. Can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked. 

Things between the mother and son had improved so much since family day, and Louis was grateful. “Yeah, for sure,” he said, quickly putting his end of the conversation on mute. “What’s up?” he asked, looking up at her from where he was sitting on the bed. 

“I just got in contact with a lawyer, and we’re going to meet with him before you go back to school after break,” she said, giving him a sad look. 

Louis quickly shook his head, “Mom you don’t have to do that. We can’t afford it. Whatever happened is in the past, it’s not important. I’m over it,” he said. 

“It’s not okay, Louis. You shouldn’t have to just get over it. We’re not going to let Luke and that school get away with what they did to you. It’s not fair, baby boy,” she said, almost in tears. Louis understood how difficult it had been on her. She had apologized so many times for not realizing something was going on earlier. Of course Louis didn’t blame her, but he understood. 

“Life isn’t always fair, though, right?” he said, giving her a sad smile. “Mom, lawyers are expensive. We can’t afford it,” he said. 

“Lou… Actually, I have something to tell you about that,” she said. “One of your friends, Liam, his father called me. He works in law, and he offered to take your case pro bono,” she explained. “I told him that we couldn’t accept, but he insisted,” she said. “And money is tight right now,” she said, shifting uncomfortably. “We’re going to meet with him later this week, after the holiday,” she said, finally. “He’s going to talk to us a bit about what options we have.” 

Louis bit down on his lip, nodding his head. “Yeah, okay,” he said, quickly. 

“I’ll let you get back to your call now, Lou,” she said, nodding towards the cell phone that he didn’t realize he was still holding. “We’ll talk more later, okay?” 

“Yeah, okay,” Louis nodded. His mother left the room, closing the door behind her. Once he heard her footsteps walking down the stairs, he unmuted the call. 

“What was that about, Lou?” Harry asked, worry in his eyes. 

Louis ignored him. “Liam, did you ask your dad to talk to my mom? I can’t afford a fucking lawyer, and I’m not gonna let him do it for free,” he said. 

“Tommo, I was just trying to help. I know how expensive things like this could be,” he said, shaking his head. 

“Well I didn’t need your fucking help, man. I’m not a charity case,” he said. 

“Lou, calm down, Liam was just trying to help out,” Zayn said, quickly trying to relieve the tension. 

“Fuck off, Zayn,” Louis said, rolling his eyes. 

“I really was just trying to help, Lou,” Liam said, and Louis knew that he was telling the truth. But he was still upset. He had kept the secret from his friends because he didn’t want them to treat him like some kind of charity case, and that’s exactly what had happened. 

“Whatever,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I’ve gotta go,” he said, quickly cancelling the call before the other boys could say anything else. 

Almost as soon as he ended the call, a notification from Harry popped up on his phone. ‘ li was just trying to help. don’t be mad pls :( ‘ 

Louis read the text on his screen and sighed. He quickly typed out a response. ‘ i’m not mad. i just wish he wouldn’t have done it. i don’t need his help ‘ 

‘ he wanted to though. that’s what friends do ‘ Harry responded. 

‘ yeah, whatever hazza. i just wish he would have left it alone, ‘ Louis sent back. He knew Harry was right, though. He knew that Liam’s heart was in the right place. 

Louis knew he was acting like a total dick. 

He quickly opened up his text conversation with Liam and typed out a new message. ‘ thanks for talking to your dad, payno. i could have figured it out, but i’m glad i have you ‘ 

Louis quickly sent the message before turning off his phone and throwing it on his bedside table. He closed his eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep. 

The days passed by quickly, and before Louis knew it, it was December 23rd. He’d always hated that his birthday fell on Christmas Eve, because he knew that it was virtually impossible to do anything with friends. It would always be overshadowed by the holidays. But his mother had agreed to let Zayn, Liam, Niall, and Harry come a day early to celebrate with him. 

Louis couldn’t help but think how much things had changed in the last years. Three hundred sixty-five days prior, Louis had been in a long-term relationship with a girl who he didn’t truly love anymore, he had been best friends with an asshole who barely knew him, he had been getting drunk and high on a daily basis, and he was getting ready to transfer from Westridge to Grand Ridge. Three hundred and sixty-five days prior Louis had been sad. Louis was living a life that, looking back on, he could barely recognize. 

When the boys arrived at Louis’ house, he was greeted with hugs from Zayn, Liam, and Niall, and a kiss from Harry. “I missed you, Lou,” Harry whispered after pulling away from the kiss, his forehead resting against Louis’. 

“I missed you, too, Hazza,” he replied, a smile growing on his face. “So much,” he added, leaning in to give him another kiss, this one lasting just a bit longer. 

“Get a room,” Niall said, a teasing smile on his face. “Can’t believe you’re both stuck in the honeymoon phase after all this time,” he said, looking between the two couples. “Absolutely disgusting. Wherever I turn, I can’t get away from it. Larry being cute? Let me look away, oh wait, nope, there’s Ziam,” he said, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.” 

“Larry and Ziam?” Zayn asked, raising his eyebrow, an amused smile on his face. 

“Louis and Harry make Larry,” he replied, “Liam and Zayn make Ziam. Duh,” he said, shaking his head. “How hard is it to understand?” 

The other boys all laughed at Niall’s attempt to act annoyed. It was so easy for them to pick back up right where they had left off before the end of break. They all sat around, making easy conversation and kicking a soccer ball back and forth. 

“Wanna take a walk into town?” Louis suggested after a while. At some point during the afternoon, his sisters had started to come out and cling to the boys, and as much as Louis loved them, he needed a bit of a break. 

The others agreed, and before long they were making their way down the low-traffic streets. Harry had his arm around Louis’ waist, his hand resting in Louis’ back pocket as they walked. It had started to snow lightly, but none of the boys were too bothered as they were dressed in heavy coats, gloves, and hats. 

Everything was going well until they walked in front of an old store, and sitting on the stairs in front of the entrance were a group of teenagers around their age. Amongst the group were Eleanor and Noah. 

When Louis saw them, he quickly tried to steer the direction they were walking the other way, but Noah caught his eyes, standing up quickly. Louis could see Eleanor trying to pull him back down, saying something to him with a roll of her eyes. But Noah just laughed, and he continued to stand up. 

Zayn looked ready to attack, and the other boys weren’t far behind. Louis was just glad that only Zayn had heard what Noah had said to them on the field. “Guys, come on,” Louis mumbled. “I don’t want to do this today. Let’s just get out of here,” he said. 

The other boys hesitantly agreed, but as soon as they started walking in the other direction, Noah came jogging up behind him. 

“Tomlinson, wait up!” he said, a smirk on his face. “Are you really trying to get Luke in trouble?” he asked, and Louis was glad that Noah wasn’t able to see his face. “Can’t believe it. You go to a new rich kid school and you end up dumping El for a guy and shitting all over Luke,” he said, a bitter laugh leaving his mouth. “You really can’t get enough of the attention, can you?” he asked. 

Harry let go of Louis, spinning around. He tried to ignore Noah, he really did. “If you say another fucking word about Louis, you’re going to regret it,” he said, getting right up in Noah’s face. Harry didn’t get mad often, and when he did, he wouldn’t let his temper get the better of him. But in that moment, he was terrifying. 

Noah smirked, putting his hands up in mock surrender. “Whatever you say,” he said, taking a step back. “Just remember that as soon as he’s got what he needs out of you, he’s gonna drop you,” he said, an obnoxious laugh accompanying his words. “And trust me, pal, you’re not his type. He’s definitely using you for something,” he said, shaking his head. Before Harry could say another word, he was heading back towards his friends, laughing loudly. 

Harry wanted to go after him, and the other boys looked like they were just waiting for him to make the first move so they could follow, but Louis put a hand on Harry’s arm. “He’s not worth it, Haz. Just drop it, leave him alone. Let’s just go back to my place, you guys have to leave soon anyways,” he said, pointing out that it would start getting dark soon. 

Harry hesitantly agreed, and the other boys followed his lead. They started the walk back to Louis’ house, none of them saying a word. By the time they arrived back at Louis’ house, the sun was setting and darkness was beginning to show. 

Zayn, Niall, and Liam took turns giving Louis a hug and telling him happy birthday before piling into the car. “Guys, I’ll be back in just a minute and then we can go, okay?” Harry said, glancing into the car. “Come with me, Lou?” he asked, grabbing Louis’ hand and pulling him to the side of the house where they were out of view of the boys in the car. 

When they were out of view, Louis grinned at Harry, pulling him close and connecting their lips in a long kiss. When they finally pulled apart, both of their cheeks were red. 

“I got you a birthday present,” Harry said, softly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “If you think it’s stupid or lame or something I can take it back, but—” 

“I can’t hate anything you got for me, babe,” Louis said, pulling him in for another quick kiss. When they pulled apart, Harry handed Louis the box. When he opened it, inside was just a simple ring, and engraved in it were their initials. 

“It’s a promise ring,” Harry explained. “I know it’s really lame, but I saw it and I just thought—” 

“Harry, this is perfect. It’s so you. I love it,” he said. “I love you so much,” he said, pulling his boyfriend close in a hug. 

“I love you, too, Lou,” he said, holding Louis close. “I don’t want to leave you,” he said, not pulling away from the hug. 

“You’ve got to, though, or the boys will come looking for us,” Louis teased, finally stepping back. 

Harry gave him a smile, leaning in to give him one last quick kiss. “I love you, Lou, so much. Happy birthday,” he said. 

“I love you, too. I’ll see you before you know it,” he replied. 

The rest of the winter break went by quickly, Louis never taking off Harry’s promise ring. Before Louis went back to school, though, he had one more hurdle to clear. It was the day after the new year celebration when Mr. Payne knocked on their door. 

The meeting wasn’t exactly formal, more so just going over the details of what had happened. The last thing Louis wanted to do was relive it, especially with someone he had never met before. But he did his best, giving Liam’s father every part of the story he could come up with. 

Right before he left, he gave Louis and his mother a warning. “I want you both to know that cases like these are difficult to win. There’s not a lot of proof, so it’s your word against his. But you’re strong for doing this, Louis. I think taking him to court is your best option. You’re showing real bravery by doing this,” he said. “I’ll talk to my team and we’ll get back to you once things start moving along,” he said, giving them a goodbye as he left. 

As soon as Liam’s father had left, Louis realized just how exhausted he was. He went to his room, closing the door behind him and he let his walls fall down.

Tears fell down his face as he let out all of his emotions from the day. Reliving the memories had been overwhelming, and Louis was finally able to let it all go. He was finally getting the closure he needed. 

After he had calmed down, he looked down at his phone to see a text from Harry. ‘ liam told me you were talking to his dad today. i just want you to know that i love you so much and i’m so proud of you. you’re so strong for doing this louis ‘ 

He had hope. For the first time, he let himself think that maybe he could come out on top.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's been a few days since i last updated, but i hope you like the chapter! this is one of abbie's favorites!

When winter break came to an end, Louis was almost relieved to return back to Grand Ridge. Classes were getting more and more difficult as teachers were preparing for the standardized testing that would be happening within the coming months. But still, Louis would rather be at Grand Ridge studying than at home. Although things were much better with his mother than they had been before, there was a tense air as they anxiously awaited more information on Louis’ case against Westridge High and Luke moving forward. Even though nothing was set in stone yet, as they were waiting to hear back from Mr. Payne about the case being set in motion, he knew it was coming. He knew that at any time, his world could be turned completely upside down. The classes were a good distraction if nothing else. 

It helped that he had Liam’s help with the advanced coursework. The boy had continued to help Louis with his studies, even if it was distracting from his own, and Louis was grateful. If it wasn’t for Liam’s help, he knew that he would have already failed out of the scholarship contract. “Hey, Payno, can we meet up tomorrow morning and work on this?” he asked, holding up the packet filled with SAT prep-work. 

“We have a game tomorrow, man. Are you losing your mind that much?” Liam asked, a laugh falling from his lips. 

Louis mentally cursed, shaking his head. “I --uh, I forgot,” he admitted, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck. It was a nervous habit of his and Louis noticed that he had begun doing it more and more. “I’m actually not playing in the game tomorrow. Talked to Coach this morning, told him my knee was still bothering me,” he said. 

Louis had taken a penalty in practice the day before, twisting his knee slightly when he had kicked the ball. It was far from the worst injury Louis had ever obtained playing the game, but it was enough to give him an excuse not to play. When Louis saw who they were playing, he knew he would take whatever excuse he could. 

Westridge. Round Two. 

The two teams were in the same division, Louis knew that they would be playing his old school again before the end of the season. He thought he would be able to handle it, but as soon as he looked at the schedule and saw the name of the school, he knew he wasn’t ready. 

“I didn’t even think about it, Louis,” Liam admitted, shaking his head then asked. “Are you coming along to Westridge? Or are you staying on campus?”

Louis was grateful that Liam didn’t try to convince him to play.

“I think I’m just gonna stay here, catch up on some work,” Louis answered, holding up the thick packet full of practice problems. 

Liam just nodded. He could tell that Louis didn’t want to speak any more on the subject, so he didn’t say anything else. 

The next day came quickly, and Zayn, Liam, Niall, and Harry all found themselves crowded around Louis’ bed as he surrounded himself with books and notes. “Are you sure you don’t want to go, Lou?” Harry asked from where he sat beside Louis on the bed. Without even realizing, Harry found himself staring at the promise ring on Louis’ finger, twisting it around. 

“Yeah I’m sure, babe,” Louis said, leaning in to give Harry a quick kiss before continuing. “My knee does hurt, actually, so it’s better off that I don’t play anyways,” He knew that none of them believed his reasoning. “Now go, you guys are gonna be late,” he said. The four boys all agreed to leave, and before long, they were out the door. 

Louis didn’t realize how much trouble the game would cause for everyone. 

On the bus ride to Westridge, Liam and Zayn were seated in one seat, Niall in the one behind them and Harry across the row. “Z, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Last time we played them, what was that asshole saying to Lou?” Harry asked. He didn’t want to ask in front of Louis, and he definitely didn’t want to ask the boy himself. 

“He was just being a dick. He was implying that… He said that Louis was basically using you for your money, and then he made some comments about how he was taking care of Eleanor or something like that. I think that’s the part that really got to Tommo,” Zayn admitted. “Like he didn’t already feel guilty enough,” Zayn said, rolling his eyes. 

He has lived with Louis for over a year at this point. Of course he knew a lot more about the situation than Louis had shared with the other boys. Through many late nights, Louis had opened up to him more and more. 

“What do you mean, Z?” Niall asked while shooting him a confused glance. 

“We’ve kinda talked about it a bit more. Just like, when it’s late at night and neither of us can sleep. We talk, I guess,” Zayn admitted with a shrug. “He just feels bad about the way things ended. --Obviously not about it ending, he’s told me he’s way happier than he’s ever been. But he just feels bad that he did technically cheat on her,” he added. 

The other boys nodded. When Louis had first lied to them about his relationship with Eleanor, they had all been angry at him. And by association, they had been angry at her as well. None of them had stopped to think that she had been hurt too. 

They quickly let the conversation change to a much lighter topic as the bus drove closer to Westridge. Before long, they were pulling into the parking lot of the school and the group of athletes were piling off of the bus towards the field. 

As soon as the neon numbers on the scoreboard began counting down, things started to go downhill. Without Louis, they didn’t have one of the best players on their team. Not to mention, the ones who were on the field weren’t exactly focused on the game. 

Zayn and Harry had never been overly aggressive players, but every chance they had they started to rack up penalties against one player in particular. After one particularly good hit, causing Noah to lose the ball but a penalty to be called on Grand Ridge, Zayn gave Harry a laugh and high five. 

“Malik, Styles, what the hell?” their coach yelled from the sidelines. “What’s gotten into you two?” 

Harry shook his head, about to run in the opposite direction from Noah when he spoke up. “So you’re boyfriend isn’t here to pick fights, too scared to show up this time, so he passed it off to you?” he asked, smirking at Harry. “Probably too scared to face Luke, huh? We’ve all heard about how he’s lying to lawyers. Word gets around in a town like Westridge,” Harry was already mad that Noah was calling Louis a liar. When the next words came out of Noah’s mouth, Harry was furious. “Guess it makes sense. Decided he needed a little bit of trauma in his past to explain why he suddenly turned gay,” he said, a laugh leaving his lips. 

Harry didn’t even think about what he was doing, but he was right up in Noah’s face, shoving him to the ground. Zayn was quickly at Harry’s side, holding him back. Niall and Liam were still on the bench, but Harry could see both of them standing up on the sidelines, held back by their coach. “Styles, what the hell, man? Get off the field,” their coach yelled as the ref held up a yellow card. 

Harry stopped fighting Zayn, finally deciding to turn around. Noah stood up from the ground, calling after him. “You really can’t get over the fact that Lou doesn’t do anything without a reason,” he said, his voice low. “He’s never been fucking gay,” he said. “His birthday just passed, right? Bet you got him something pretty expensive,” Noah said, a bitter laugh leaving his lips. “As soon as he’s gotten what he needs from you, he’s gonna come to his senses and drop you. It’s exactly what he did to Luke. He got him to put in a good word for that scholarship and now he’s trying to ruin his career,” Noah said. “He’s an attention seeker. A liar.” 

As soon as the words had left Noah’s mouth, Zayn let go of Harry. Harry didn’t hesitate when he punched the opposing team’s player hard in the jaw, hard enough to make him lose his balance. Noah quickly regained his balance, and was quick to take a blow at Harry, his fist colliding with Harry’s eye. 

It wasn’t long before the fight broke up, but it was long enough that both boys got a few good hits in. Both players were given a red card and removed from the game. Zayn was also taken out of the game, and he and Harry were both sent to the locker room for the remainder of the game.

As the minutes passed, Harry and Zayn sat in silence. Finally, Harry spoke up. “I fucking hate him. I can’t believe he can say that when he was Louis’ best friend for so many years,” he said, holding his hand against his eye. It was already bruising from where Noah got only one good punch. 

“I know, Haz,” Zayn said, shaking his head. Zayn finally looked up at Harry, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. “Tommo is gonna fucking kill you, man,” he said. 

“Trust me, I know,” Harry replied, shaking his head with a laugh. 

It wasn’t long after when the rest of the team started to piled in. All mumbling about how it wasn’t fair because they had been playing without three of their best players. They had lost. 

Only a few minutes later, the coach opened the door to the locker room. “Styles. Malik. Get out here, now,” he said, slamming the door behind him. Zayn and Harry gave each other a quick glance, trying to hide the smiles on their faces as they went to talk to their coach. 

“What the hell was that, guys?” he asked, rubbing his face with his hands. “You do realize that, you,” he said, pointing at Zayn, “stood by and let your teammate get into a fight.” Then pointing at the other boy before he continued. “And you, Harry, you’re the one who was fighting. 

“I have to suspend you both for the rest of the season,” he said, shaking his head. “Two of my best players out for the championship game. Just go to the bus, the rest of the team will be there soon,” he said.

“Who knows if Tomlinson will be in good enough shape to play,” his voice angry and tired, mumbling to himself. 

Zayn and Harry didn’t say anything. They just began walking back to the bus. It wasn’t long before Niall and Liam caught up, due to them quickly changing out of their game clothes so they could talk to Harry and Zayn without the rest of the team around. When they finally caught up, though, neither of them knew what to say. Liam just wrapped an arm around Zayn’s waist as Niall clapped Harry on the shoulder. The four boys walked in silence towards the bus. At least, until they saw a figure walking towards his car. 

Luke. 

Harry was quick to walk towards him. “How could you do that?” he asked, face to face with the man who had caused Louis so much pain. The other boys were behind him, but none of them held him back. “How could you let him trust you, look up to you, and then hurt him?” 

Luke just stood there. Not saying a word.

“You let him take the fall for everything, too.” Zayn quickly added. “You let him screw up half the relationships in his life because they thought he was expelled for some stupid prank.”

“You’re a disgusting excuse for a human being,” Niall said, and Liam agreed. 

By that point, all four boys were talking over each other, all of them telling Louis’ former coach how disgusted he should be in himself. How he let Louis look up to him, how he let Louis trust him, only to throw everything away. 

“I have no idea what any of you are talking about,” Luke said, shaking his head. He quickly got into his car, slamming the door behind him and speeding off, not worrying about the four boys surrounding his car. 

The four boys fell silent as soon as he was out of the parking lot. 

“Louis is going to kill all of us,” Harry said, giving Zayn a sideways glance. “Not just me,” he said, alluding to their earlier conversation in the locker room. 

It wasn’t long before the four boys were piling up on the bus, and the rest of their team was quick to follow. 

When they got back to Grand Ridge, all four boys agreed to go back to room 280. They knew it would be better to get it over with. Louis would have to find out sooner or later, and with the bruise forming on Harry’s eye, there was no way they could hide it. 

As soon as they walked into the room, Louis looked up from where he was sitting on his bed, scrolling through social media. “How did the-- What the hell, Hazza?” he said, quickly standing up to walk over to him. “What happened?” 

“I might have gotten into a little bit of a fight,” Harry replied sheepishly. They started to tell Louis the whole story, from start to finish. About how Noah had been egging them on. About how Harry punched him in the face. About how Zayn and Harry were suspended for the rest of the season. About how they confronted Luke. They told him everything. By the end of the story, the five boys were scattered all throughout the room.

“You guys are idiots, you shouldn’t have done that,” Louis said. He was still holding Harry close, running his fingers through his curls. There was no real bite in his words. 

“We’re always gonna be here for you, Lou,” Niall spoke up from where he was sitting in the desk chair. 

“I know,” Louis replied, sighing heavily. “And thanks, guys,” he continued, giving them all a small smile. He wasn’t happy about what they had done, but he was lucky to have such great friends. 

The days passed on, the semester was quickly coming to an end. They survived the standardized testing and finals. Without Zayn and Harry, the championship game was a mess. Although they hung on for a while, it didn’t take long for the other team to run away with a lead.

It was the last day of school before the summer break when Niall barged into room 280, already finding the other four lads in the room. “I just got off the phone with my dad and he said it was good to go. How would you boys feel about staying a few weeks in my summer home in California?” Niall asked, giving them all a toothy grin. 

The year may have not ended the way any of them had wanted, but Louis couldn’t help but smile. 

“Hell yeah, Niall,” he said, and the other boys were also agreeing. 

It was official. Junior year was just as difficult as Dean Greenwood had informed him at the beginning of the year. --Academics, although, didn’t play as big of a role as Louis assumed it would have. 

Even with the worst year behind him, Louis was leaving Grand Ridge with a smile on his face knowing that in a few short days, he would be hearing from Niall with information about their summer in California. A summer that he would be spending with his boyfriend and his three best friends. Everything was going to be okay.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> has it really been over a month since i last updated? uh — sorry about that, i kinda got busy and just didn’t have the motivation. but i finally have a new chapter up, and i hope you like it!!

## Part Three — Senior Year

“Tommo! I missed you!” Niall exclaimed as soon as the door had swung open, pulling the boy into a tight hug. 

“Niall, we just moved out of the dorms, you saw me two weeks ago,” Louis said as he rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide the smile from his face as he returned the hug. 

“And why do you think I always ended up in your room instead of my own? I couldn’t stay away from you or Zayn for more than eight hours at a time,” Niall replied, a pseudo pout on his face. 

“Whatever you say, man. Now get off of me,” Louis said, a grin on his face as he pushed the blonde boy out of their hug. 

“Well excuse me for missing one of my best friends,” he said, his signature loud laugh making Louis smile. “The other guys are already in my room,” Niall said, leading Louis through the too-large house. 

As soon as the two boys walked through the door, the three boys remaining in Niall’s bedroom, Liam, Harry, and Zayn, had quickly gotten to their feet and rushed to meet them at the door, Harry ahead of the others and pulling Louis into a tight hug. 

“I missed you,” he said, his voice soft, but not too quiet that the other boys couldn’t hear. 

“I missed you, too, Haz,” Louis replied with a soft smile on his face as he held on tight to his boyfriend. 

“Oh, so when Hazza misses you it’s cute and you miss him too, but when I miss you, I’m lame and clingy? I see how it is,” Niall teased, shoving past the two boys. “Can’t believe I’m constantly surrounded by gross couples,” he said, gesturing between the two couples currently in his room. 

“Shut up, Ni, you wouldn’t know what to do without us,” Harry said, a grin on his face as he pulled away from Louis. “Our little Nialler here is just jealous,” he said, walking over and dramatically throwing his arms around the blonde. 

“Hey, Horan, hands off my boy,” Louis teased, a laugh threatening to spill from his lips. 

Zayn and Liam both gave Louis a quick hug, before they found themselves all scattered around Niall’s room. Before long, Zayn and Niall were playing FIFA on a TV that Louis couldn’t believe was considered an acceptable size for in the bedroom as Liam sat off to the side, cheering and heckling when necessary. Louis and Harry sat off to the other side, Louis focusing more on playing with Harry’s curls than watching the game being played on the screen. 

The night was still young when Niall’s mother popped her head into the room. “You boys should plan on getting some rest soon, we’re leaving early in the morning,” she warned. 

“Yeah, mom, we’ll sleep soon, don’t worry,” Niall said, barely looking up from the screen. “Yes! Yes! No! Damn it, Zayn!” he said, throwing his controller to the ground. 

“Language, Niall,” his mother said, rolling her eyes as she said goodnight to the boys and shut the door behind herself. 

Despite calling back their goodnights and promising to sleep soon, the five teenagers had no plans to end the night early. They sat around laughing and talking for hours before they finally settled in for the night. 

“Lou, this is your first time going to California, right?” Liam asked from where he laid on the floor on top of his sleeping bag next to Niall’s bed. 

Louis rolled over onto his back, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah, we never really went on big vacations like this, especially not with the girls being so young,” Louis said, only partly lying. 

Of course, he trusted his four best friends, but it was still difficult not to notice how different their worlds were. A vacation like this was normal for them. Hell, they were staying in Niall’s family’s vacation home, of course, packing up and staying in the tourist town for weeks at a time wasn’t a rare occurrence. But it was something that Louis’ family would never be able to afford in a million years. His sisters were too young for a big vacation. In reality, though, he knew the reason was that they simply couldn’t afford it. 

The other boys stayed silent for a moment, knowing that Louis wasn’t telling the whole truth. “You’re gonna love it, man,” Zayn spoke up after a few minutes. 

“Yeah, Lou, it’s really great,” Harry added, moving a little closer to where his boyfriend was lying. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun, I promise.” 

The topic of conversation faded, and finally, all five boys fell asleep in the early hours of the morning. 

However, his sleep didn’t last for long, because as soon as Louis had drifted off, the light switch was being flipped upward and Niall’s father had walked into the room, attempting to wake five sleeping teenage boys. 

“Just five more minutes,” he heard Niall mumbling from his bed as his father stepped over Zayn’s sleeping body to drag away Niall’s blanket. 

“Rise and shine, boys, we’ve got to get on the road before long, and I know my son well enough to know he hasn’t packed yet even though he told his mother that he was almost done,” he said, giving Niall a pointed look. 

Niall mumbled something that resembled, “Fuck mornings,” if Louis had to guess. 

As Louis sat up from where he was previously asleep on the floor, he couldn’t help the thoughts running through his mind. They were about to be stuck in a car with way too many people, way too early in the morning, and with way too little sleep. It was going to be a long day. 

Before the sun had even begun to rise, the five boys were piling on top of each other to get in the car to prepare for a long ride. 

“What the fuck, Ni, you’re basically sitting on my lap.” 

“Zayn wake up, you’re not drooling on my shoulder the entire car ride.” 

“Quit bitching at everyone, Tommo. I’m not listening to it the whole way there.” 

“Leave him alone, Payno, you’re the one who got into an argument with H over a bowl of cereal.” 

“BOYS,” Niall’s mother said from the front seat, turning around to look at the bickering boys. “This car ride will be long enough without having to listen to you all arguing.” 

The five boys all glanced at each other before looking back to Mrs. Horan and mumbling their apologies. None of them were in the best of moods, considering they had stayed up way too late and had woken up way too early. 

“You wouldn’t have to be apologizing if you had gone to sleep when I came in and reminded you,” Mrs. Horan said, giving Niall a pointed look. 

“Sorry, mom,” Niall said sheepishly, the word cutting off midway with a yawn. 

The quiet conversation drifted off as soon as Mr. Horan slipped into the driver’s seat, a travel cup filled with coffee in his hand. As they pulled out onto the road, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of tires on the gravel road. 

Louis placed his earbuds in his ears, leaning his head against the window as he watched the scenery pass by. 

For Louis, this trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Growing up, family vacations meant a day trip to the zoo or a weekend in a shitty motel. His family had never been able to afford much more than that, and although the trips were always fun, this was a real vacation. 

He would be staying at the Horan’s vacation home, right off the beach, for a full two weeks with his boyfriend and his three best friends. This would be a summer to remember. 

In what felt like a matter of minutes, Louis felt a gentle hand on his shoulder shaking him awake. “Hey, babe, wake up,” Harry’s soft voice said. “We aren’t there yet, but it’s not too much further. We’re stopping for some food,” he said. 

When Louis opened his eyes, he was shocked to see the bright midday sun shining through the windows of the car. “Didn’t even know I fell asleep,” he said, his voice scratchy as he reached to take off his seatbelt. 

“You and Z were both out before we got to the interstate, Lou,” Harry said, an amused laugh accompanying his words. The two boys got out of the car and began walking towards the entrance of the building. “Don’t worry, you looked a lot cuter than he did,” Harry teased. 

“Quit lying to your boyfriend, Haz,” Liam cut in, coming up behind him and throwing his arm around Louis’ shoulder. “Sorry man, but Z looked really damn cute,” he said, a grin on his face. 

“You have to say that, you’re the one who got stuck with him,” Louis pointed out, a teasing smile on his face. 

“Oh fuck off, Tommo,” Zayn said, rolling his eyes as he and Niall stepped into line with the rest of them. 

The five boys walked into the small store, Mr. and Mrs. Horan walking a short ways behind them. They quickly gathered what they wanted before heading back to the car. “Okay, boys, we should be at the house in about forty-five minutes, maybe an hour depending on traffic,” Mr. Horan said as they climbed back into the car. 

The rest of the drive went by quickly, and before he knew it, the car was pulling up in front of a beautiful house right on the edge of the beach. 

Louis couldn’t help but stare in total awe. If he thought the Horan’s everyday home was big, their vacation home was a mansion. 

He was quickly pulled out of his trance by Niall climbing over him to open the door, “Come on, guys, let’s drop our shit off so we can go down to the beach.” 

Louis shook the thoughts out of his head and laughed, shoving Niall off of his lap. Surprisingly, Niall had managed to land on his feet, and his laugh was loud enough that they could probably hear him down by the water. 

Louis quickly followed after Niall, climbing out of the car and going around to the back to grab his bags while the other boys piled out. 

Once all five teenagers were standing, bags in hand, Mr. Horan tossed Liam a set of keys. “We’re going to run to the store, pick up some ice and some food. You guys go ahead,” he said. 

With Niall’s parents back on the road, Niall led the other four up to the house. “Come on, our rooms are upstairs,” he said, nudging open the door with his foot after Liam unlocked it.

Louis closed the door once they had all entered the house, and he glanced around. Bright colors filled his field of vision, the enormous living room they had entered having been decorated exactly as you would imagine for a house on the beach. 

Niall led them up a spiral staircase, the railings painted a bright yellow. The staircase led to a long hallway, and on the walls were framed pictures of Niall and his parents, and even some of Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Harry growing up. 

It was a harsh reminder that Louis was still new to their world, but he pushed the thoughts out of his head. 

“So I figured I would sleep solo, obviously,” he said, gesturing to the closed door closest to the staircase, and when he pushed it open the room basically screamed his name. “There are two other bedrooms,” he said, nodding directly across the hall to a door and then gesturing to the other. “Both rooms have two beds, but that’s up to you,” he teased, raising an eyebrow. 

Zayn rolled his eyes, hitting Niall upside his head. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll leave you to sort out the rooming arrangements on your own then,” he said, a loud laugh accompanying his words as he turned towards his room and tossed his bags on the bed. “But hurry up and get changed, I wanna get down to the beach,” he called back before kicking the door shut behind him. 

The other four boys laughed at his antics before separating to their own rooms, Zayn and Liam to one and Harry and Louis to the other. 

Louis walked into the room, throwing his bag on his bed as he walked towards the balcony attached to his and Harry’s room. “Wow,” was all he could say, shaking his head. 

They had a perfect view of the beach below, and it was absolutely breathtaking. 

“Yeah, and this is the room with the worst view,” Harry answered, walking up behind Harry and wrapping his arms around him. 

“It’s just —crazy, you know?” Louis said, turning around in Harry’s arms to face his boyfriend. 

Harry leaned down, placing a quick kiss to Louis’ lips. “I know it is, yeah,” he said. “Come on, though, Niall isn’t very patient when he wants to get to the water.” 

“When is Niall ever patient?” Louis responded, a smile on his face even as Harry pulled away. 

“You’ve got a point there,” Harry replied, a smile on his face. 

Before long, all five boys had gotten changed and met in the hallway. “Everyone ready?” Niall asked, already halfway out the door. 

The five boys were quick to get to the beach, and Louis took in everything about it. He’d never actually seen the ocean, but here he was with his boyfriend and best friends, experiencing it for the first time. 

Much too soon, the summer sun was fading into darkness, and the five teenagers found themselves sitting around a fire, talking about anything and everything. 

It was the perfect way to end the first night of what would be a perfect vacation. 

The remainder of the two weeks went by almost too quickly, and before he knew it, Louis was loading his bags back into the trunk of the Horan family’s car. 

Not only did the end of their vacation signal the end of the summer, it also signaled something bigger. The beginning of senior year.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i hope you like the chapter!!

Like he had since the second semester of his sophomore year, Louis found himself sitting across the desk from Dean Greenwood. 

Looking back to his fifteen year old self, Louis couldn’t believe how much had changed. 

When he was fifteen, he hated the idea of being stuck in a prestigious boarding school with a bunch of rich kids. He hated that he was leaving behind Noah and Eleanor. He blamed himself for everything that had happened with Luke. When he looked into his future he didn’t see any goals or aspirations for himself. He didn’t care about anything. 

But in the past two years, Louis had grown up. He’d changed. He realized that he was worth more than he thought. 

Grand Ridge Preparatory was important. He cared about his grades. He cared about his team. He had started researching colleges with good soccer programs, and Liam and Harry had been helping him with college applications. 

He had friends, real friends, who saw him as more than just a buddy to party with. Friends who knew the real him. He had a boyfriend, who he was falling more and more in love with every single day. A boyfriend who he was with for more reasons than to keep up appearances. He was waiting to hear back from a lawyer about moving forward with the charges against Luke. 

When he looked into his future, he saw a real chance at a good life. 

“I’m proud of you, Mr. Tomlinson,” Dean Greenwood said. “When we first saw your record, we had our doubts. But I’m glad I took the chance on you, Louis.” 

“Thank you, sir,” Louis said, nodding politely. 

“Do you remember our first meeting? You and your mother were sitting there, and I told you that I thought Grand Ridge would be good for you,” the dean said, leaning back in his chair. 

“Yeah, I remember,” Louis answered. 

“I was right, of course. I mean, look at you now. But what I didn’t realize was how good you would be for Grand Ridge. You’ve really made an impact on our soccer program, of course, but I’m proud of the bright, young man you’re becoming.”

“Thank you, sir,” Louis replies, unable to hide the smile on his face. 

“Which is why,” Dean Greenwood began, standing up from his desk chair and walking to open the door. “Please come in,” he said, gesturing to someone who Louis couldn’t see behind the door. 

Louis’ coach walked in, followed by Dean Greenwood who closed the door behind him. “Which is why we’d like to offer you the role of senior captain, Louis,” he finished. 

“Wait are you serious?” Louis asked, shock evident on his face. It wasn’t a secret that Louis was amongst the most talented on the team, but for some reason, he wasn’t expecting this. 

“Your grades have been good, Louis. Your leadership qualities are undeniable, and the team respects you. It was a no-brainer. There wasn’t another option, not one, that made this much sense anyways,” Louis’ coach explained. 

“So what do you say, Mr. Tomlinson?” Dean Greenwood asked. 

“Yeah, yeah, of course I’ll be captain,” Louis answered quickly. 

The meeting didn’t run much longer, seeing as Louis had already resigned his scholarship contracts. As soon as the door closed behind him, Louis was rushing back towards his and Zayn’s shared dorm. 

Classes didn’t start for another few days still, but all five of the boys had already moved in, and Louis wasn’t surprised to find them lounging around room 280 when he threw open the door. 

“Boys, boys, boys. Already so lazy,” he said, throwing an arm around Liam's shoulder. “Practice starts in just a few short days, and don’t think the new captain is gonna take it easy on you. Heard he’s tough,” Louis said, a huge grin on his face. 

“Wait did you get the C?” Niall asked, jumping up from the desk chair he had been spinning in. “Thank god, maybe I can get out of laps this year,” he said. 

“No chance, Nialler. We lost last year, this year the championship is ours,” Louis said, shoving Niall away, a laugh falling from his lips. 

“What’s the point of your best friend being captain if you can’t take advantage of it?” Niall said, a pout on his face. 

“What’s the point of playing if we’re just gonna lose? Just because I let you get away with half-assing your way through the season?” Louis teased. 

“Give it up, Niall. We all know I’m the only one that’ll get special treatment from this year's captain,” Harry cut in, wrapping his arms around Louis. 

Louis leaned over and placed a quick peck on Harry’s lips. “As cute as you are, no special treatment for you either,” he said. 

The five boys spent a little while longer talking about the upcoming season before they reached a decision. 

“We’ve got to celebrate tonight,” Niall said, leaving no room for any disagreements. 

“N’s right, it’s not every day you find out you’re gonna be the senior soccer captain,” Zayn agreed. 

“Okay, yeah, I'm in,” Louis replied. “Give me ten minutes, I just wanna call my mom. I haven’t told her the news yet,” he explained. 

Louis pulled out his phon, dialed the number, and as soon as his mom had picked up, the four other boys in the room started shouting their hellos, laughing as they screamed over Louis. 

After a few moments they all went quiet to give Louis the chance to tell his mom the news. 

“Yeah, yeah, everything went well. Yeah, I got all of the scholarship stuff straightened out. Okay — okay yeah, but — Mom listen, I got captain.” 

Louis could hear the smile on his mom’s face. “Did you really, Louis, that’s so amazing! I knew you would. I’m so proud of you,” she said. “All of that hard work really paid off, boobear, ” she said. 

The mother and son talked for a few more minutes before his mother’s tone changed. “Louis, I’ve been needing to talk to you about some—“ 

“Lou, c’mon, let’s go!” Niall said, pulling on Louis’ arm that he wasn’t using to hold the phone. 

“Mom, me and the guys are going to go celebrate. Can I call you back tonight? We can talk then,” he said, already preparing to hang up the phone. 

“Lou—“ 

“Thanks mom, I love you. I’ll call you tonight, bye,” he said, quickly ending the call. 

“Okay, boys, let’s go,” Louis said. 

The five boys spent the night laughing, drinking, and dancing. They spent the night forgetting about any problems or responsibilities. They spent the night having fun. 

When Louis sat down on his bed after the night was over, he dialed his mom’s phone number. She answered on the second ring. 

“Sorry about earlier, you know Niall. He was getting impatient,” Louis said, a laugh accompanying his words. 

“Lou, I hate having to tell you like this, but I just heard back from Liam’s dad. They’re moving forward with the charges again Luke, sweetie,” Louis’ mother said. 

“Wait, really? I — I knew it was gonna happen, but I just didn’t really think— I didn’t think it was going to happen now,” Louis said, his voice shaking. 

“I know, Louis, but this is for the best. We can’t let him win, baby boy,” his mother said. 

“Yeah I— I know. I’m just shocked,” Louis said. 

“I know, darling, but we’re going to have to start meeting with Liam’s dad some more to help you get prepared, okay?” 

“Yeah, okay. I— I’ll talk to you later, I’m really tired. Love you, bye,” Louis said, rushing to hang up his phone. 

This was real. It was happening. 

Fifteen year old Louis never dreamed of this. 

Now, seventeen year old Louis was regretting it too.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you like this chapter!! it’s a bit on the shorter side but it’s extremely important.

Nothing was going smoothly. Between preparing his testimony, running practices, college applications, and trying to keep up with his school work, Louis was overwhelmed. 

He was trying his hardest to spend time with Liam, Niall, Harry, and Zayn, but the only one of the four he had seen for more than ten minutes at a time, with the exception of any classes they might have together, was his roommate. 

Of course his friends understood. They were worried about him, but they knew that once Luke was found guilty, Louis would get the closure he needed. 

The four boys were gathered in room 280 one afternoon after soccer practice. As soon as practice had come to an end, Louis had rushed to a meeting with his lawyer, so Niall, Harry, Liam, and Zayn were alone in the dorm room. 

“I’m worried about him,” Liam admitted, leaning into Zayn’s from where he was sitting beside him. “Like, I know this is important to him, but he’s throwing his whole life into it… What if it’s not enough?” 

“It will be,” Harry insisted. “Luke is guilty. They have to see it,” he added. “Lou has told you guys just as much as he’s told me. Luke manipulated him. He supplied a minor with alcohol. With cigarettes, weed… He tried to have a relationship with a minor, and when Louis went to look for help, they silenced him and expelled him,” Harry said. “They have to see that he’s guilty, there’s no way he’s going to get away with everything he did. Him and the school, they’ll be held accountable.” 

“Haz, I hope you’re right, but Liam has a point,” Zayn said, shaking his head. As angry as the thought made him, he knew what he was about to say was true. “The judicial system is shit, no offense Li,” he said, nodding towards his boyfriend, both of his parents being lawyers. 

Liam mumbled a ‘none taken,’ as Zayn continued. “It’s really Luke’s word against Louis’. We know that Louis is telling the truth, but who’s going to believe a teenage boy who’s had behavioral issues in the past over a grown man who everyone thinks is so great? I mean, Louis’ old team was total shit until he started coaching.” 

Niall shook his head, “yeah but like you said, Louis is telling the truth. That has to be worth something,” he said. “They can’t just let Luke go because he’s built up a good soccer team. What he didn’t wasn’t fair,” Niall said. “That may sound immature, but it’s true.” 

“There’s no way he’s getting away with it,” Harry insisted, shaking his head. “Can we just change the subject?” he asked, running his fingers through his hair. He loved Louis, he loved Louis so much it terrified him. He loved Louis more than he had ever loved any other person in his life. And just knowing how much this was breaking him broke Harry’s heart. 

Zayn, Liam, and Niall went silent, causing Harry to roll his eyes. The teenager grabbed his backpack from where he had thrown it on the ground beside Louis’ bed and stood up, walking towards the door. “Sorry for not wanting to talk about how you all seem to think Louis is doing this for nothing. I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he said, leaving the room and slamming the door behind him before any of his friends could stop him. 

After Harry’s outbreak, the topic of Louis’ upcoming day in court wasn’t brought up again for almost a full week. 

The week had been much like the one before, Louis stretching himself so thin that none of his friends understood how he was managing to stay awake throughout his classes. 

Louis was running out of energy, and it was obvious. After a particularly short Tuesday night soccer practice one night, he held Zayn, Liam, Niall, and Harry back. 

“I know it’s short notice—“ he began, “But I’m testifying on Thursday. If you guys wanted to— if you could come I think it would help,” he explained. “I didn’t know if I was even gonna tell you guys, but I don’t think I can do it alone,” he admitted, sheepishly. 

“Of course we’ll be there, Lou,” Harry said, speaking of first and pulling Louis into a hug. 

“Yeah, if you want us there, man, we’re there,” Liam agreed. The other boys spoke their agreement and before long, the five boys were in a group hug. 

They were still wearing their sweaty practice uniforms, but none of them cared. 

Louis wasn’t in classes the next day. Dean Greenwood had excused him from school for the remaining two weeks in the semester, as long as he made sure to keep up with his school work remotely. 

On Thursday, Louis put on a suit. He stood in front of a mirror for hours repeating the words he had been practicing for weeks. This was his one chance to get closure. This was his chance to prove to himself that the world wasn’t totally unfair. This was his chance to win. 

The day in court went by in a blur. Louis held his head high. He stood. He spoke. 

But it wasn’t enough. 

Due to lack of evidence, as it was Louis’ word against Luke’s, they couldn’t convict the soccer coach of anything. 

When Louis stepped outside of the courtroom, he was met by a familiar face. A face he once convinced himself was friendly. A face that was at one point one that he connected with his best friend. 

“You really had to take this as far as you could, didn’t you? Anything for a little bit of extra attention, huh Tomlinson?” Noah said, a smirk on his face. “What happened to you, man? You’ve changed.” 

“Yeah, I have,” Louis said, shoving past his old friend. “You should try doing the same,” he added. 

Noah said something else, but Louis wasn’t listening. His hands were shaking, and he immediately walked forward and was met with soft eyes. “Hazza,” Louis said, nearly collapsing into Harry’s arms as he wrapped him in a hug. 

“I’m so fucking proud of you, Louis,” Harry said. 

“Luke got away with everything,” Louis replied, his voice raw. 

“But we know what happened. You stood up for what was right, and maybe they didn’t listen, but you know that what you did was right. That’s all that matters, Lou,” Harry whispered, his arms still wrapped around Harry. 

Louis stayed silent, not moving away from Harry’s grasp, so Harry spoke again after a moment. “The guys, they're waiting outside with your mom. We can go out whenever you’re ready,” Harry said. 

The two boys walked outside a few moments later, and Louis was met with hugs and apologies. 

Zayn, Liam, Niall, and Harry skipped classes the next day. They couldn’t leave Louis alone. 

If any of their parents got calls from the school the next day about the unexcused absences, none of them said anything. 

The next day, Louis forced them to go back to campus. 

“I’ll be okay,” he said, confidence in his voice. 

He believed it. He would be okay.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m a little mad at louis bc hes so dumb in this chapter djjsjsjs but it’s FINE ,,, i hope you like the chapter!!

The first semester of his senior year had come to an end, and although Louis hadn’t been on campus for the last couple of weeks, he was relieved. 

Dean Greenwood had approved him to partake in remote learning from the day after his trial for the remainder of the semester. However, being away from Harry and his friends had only made his days go by slower. 

But Louis was doing better. 

Luke hadn’t gotten in trouble. There was no action taken against Westridge Community School. Louis hadn’t gotten the closure he needed. But he was doing okay. 

The first few days he had been a wreck. After Harry, Liam, Niall, and Zayn went back to school, he had locked himself in his bedroom and refused to leave except to get meals and use the bathroom. But slowly, he reminded himself of everything that had happened over the past few years. 

Luke may have deserved the worst, and he may never get that, but Louis still won. 

He went to a school that recognized his true potential. He started getting good grades. He became captain of a winning soccer team. He met four boys who showed him what true friendship was. 

He met the love of his life. 

So even though Luke didn’t lose, Louis still won.

Before Louis knew it, the world outside his window was covered in snow and he was packing a suitcase. 

Louis reached under his pillow and pulled out a small box, rubbing his thumb over the top. He quickly shoved the box under a couple of shirts in his suitcase when he heard the door opening. 

“Hey, baby boy. Are you about ready to go meet Harry?” she asked, peeking her head in Louis’ room. 

“Yeah, I’m almost done packing,” he said, nodding his head. 

“Well hurry up, okay? It’s gonna start getting dark soon, and the roads are gonna start getting slick again. I just want you to be safe,” his mother said. 

“Yeah, I’ll head out now,” Louis said, wrapping his arms around her. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, I love you,” he said, grabbing his bag and walking towards the door. 

Louis walked towards his car, throwing his bag in the backseat and started the drive. It wasn’t too far away in hindsight, and although it wasn’t the nicest place to stay, it was quiet and clean. 

And Louis happened to know the person scheduled to run the front desk, a senior at Westridge who he had always gotten along with. Louis had already planned ahead with him, and he knew they would have no issues checking in although neither were legally old enough to rent a hotel room. 

When Louis got there, he saw Harry’s car already parked in the corner of the parking lot. His fancy car was out of place amongst the worn down cars in the parking lot, but Louis didn’t care. 

Harry was leaning against the side, a beanie covering his hair as he scrolled through his phone. He was looking away from Louis, so the older boy couldn’t help but admire the way he looked. 

The white snowflakes that had fallen on his hat stood out against the dark colored fabric, and the coat wrapped around him almost made him look smaller. 

Louis smiled genuinely as he walked up behind Harry, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. “I missed you,” he said, a grin on his face as Harry jumped in surprise. 

As soon as Harry realized who it was, he smiled, leaning down and pulling Louis into a kiss. “I missed you, too,” he said after pulling back from the kiss. 

Louis laughed, pulling his boyfriend back down towards his lips. 

They stood there for a moment, wrapped up in each other before Harry pulled away. “I’ve been standing out here for almost ten minutes and it’s freezing, Lou,” Harry said, a laugh leaving his lips. 

“Let’s go check in,” Louis replied, a smile on his face. He went to pick up his bag, but Harry already had it in his hand. “No way, you’re the birthday boy,” Harry said, a goofy grin on his face as he led Louis into the hotel and to the front desk. 

The two boys got checked in quickly, and as they went up to their room, the light outside had already faded. 

In Louis’ opinion, the worst part of winter was the early night. It seemed like the days were getting shorter and shorter, and in just a few short hours, Louis would be eighteen. 

He would legally be an adult. 

With the thought in his head, Louis quickly reached down to his coat pocket and felt to make sure the small square box was still safely in place. 

In just a few short hours, he would legally be an adult. 

In just a few short hours, everything could change. 

They had the lights dimmed in the room, their heads both laying against the pillows. “I love you, Lou,” Harry said, his voice quiet. 

“I love you too, Hazza,” Louis whispered in reply. 

Harry looked up at the clock on the wall. 

December 24th, 12:04am. 

Louis was officially eighteen. 

“Happy birthday, Louis,” he whispered. 

“Happy Christmas Eve,” Louis said, smiling softly and leaning forward to give Harry a soft kiss. 

When he pulled away, he bit down on his lip. 

He was officially an adult. 

It was time. 

Louis smiled softly, sitting up and getting off of the bed. “Come on, come with me,” Louis said, grabbing his coat. 

“Where are we going?” Harry asked, already standing up from where he was laying. 

“Do you trust me?” Louis asked instead of answering Harry’s question. 

“Of course,” Harry replied, no thought needed. 

“Then just come with me,” Louis said. 

Harry grabbed his own coat and put the same beanie on that he had worn on his way to the hotel. The two boys were silent as Louis grabbed Harry’s hand and led him out the back door and to a small clearing behind the building. 

There was a single streetlight shining down on them, making the snowy ground stand out against their feet. When they were standing right under a beautiful tree, Christmas lights hanging from the branches in decoration, Louis reached into his pocket one final time to make sure the small box was still safely in place. 

“I’m officially eighteen,” he said softly. “I’m an adult,” he added, his voice quiet. 

“I know, Lou,” Harry said, biting down on his lip. 

“Hazza, I can’t believe how much I love you. I know —I know we’re still way too young, and I know that most people would probably say we’re insane if they knew how we felt. They would say we have no idea what love is. But I know what love is. Harry, love is me being better when you’re with me. Being better because you’re with me,” Louis said. 

Slowly, the eighteen year old got down on one knee as he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a small box. “Harry, I know we’re still young. I know that we’re still in school. I know that we still have so much life to live, I want to live it with you. I love you so much,” Louis said. 

Harry was silent as Louis continued. 

“Harry Edward Styles, will you marry me?”


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you like the chapter!!

“I’m officially eighteen,” he said softly. “I’m an adult,” he added, his voice quiet. 

“I know, Lou,” Harry said, biting down on his lip. 

“Hazza, I can’t believe how much I love you. I know —I know we’re still way too young, and I know that most people would probably say we’re insane if they knew how we felt. They would say we have no idea what love is. But I know what love is. Harry, love is me being better when you’re with me. Being better because you’re with me,” Louis said. 

Slowly, the eighteen year old got down on one knee as he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a small box. “Harry, I know we’re still young. I know that we’re still in school. I know that we still have so much life to live, I want to live it with you. I love you so much,” Louis said. 

Harry was silent as Louis continued. l

“Harry Edward Styles, will you marry me?” 

Harry stood completely still, shocked at the words coming from Louis’ mouth. So many thoughts were running through his mind, and his silence was making Louis feel nervous. 

“We’re still in high school, Louis. And next year— Lou, next year we could be halfway across the world from each other,” he said, shock clearly coming through with his words. 

“I don’t want to be away from you, Hazza. I want to go wherever you go. We both know that your chances of getting into your dream school is way higher than any plans I have,” Louis said. 

“We’re so young, though, Lou. How do you know that you want to be with me forever?” Harry asked. 

“You haven’t answered, Harry,” Louis said, his voice soft as he stayed in position on one knee. 

“God, Lou, yeah. Yes, of course I’ll marry you,” he said, his voice quiet as he pulled Louis up. Louis slid the ring onto Harry’s finger before pulling his boyfriend —his fiancé— into a kiss. 

“I’m sorry the ring isn’t much,” Louis said after they’d pulled away. The air around them was cold, and snow was falling in their hair, but neither made a move towards the warm hotel room. “It’s all I could really afford,” Louis explained, embarrassment obvious in his voice. He knew that Harry would have gotten him the most exquisite ring he could find. 

“No, Lou, it’s absolutely perfect,” Harry whispered, admiring the simple engagement band. “It’s exactly what I want, because you picked it out,” he said. 

Louis looked around at the scene around him. The world around them was silent, the only noise coming through being the occasional car passing by or the animals moving in the woods around them. The snow was falling so gently around them, the only source of light came from the dim lamp post above them, and the flickering Christmas lights that decorated the tree. 

Despite the cold winter air begging them to return to the heated room, Louis and Harry took a seat in the snow. “I can’t wait to spend every single Christmas with you,” Louis said, running his fingers through Harry’s curls as he admired the way the white snow popped out against the dark color. 

“I can’t wait to spend every single birthday with you. I’ll be by your side even when your old and whiny,” Harry teased, a grin on his face. 

“I won’t be the only one aging, Curly,” Louis teases, pointing a finger against Harry’s chest. 

“Yeah, but you’ll always be a couple of months older than me,” Harry said, a cheeky grin on his face. 

The two boys laughed, and as they calmed down, Harry leaned his head against Louis’ shoulder. 

“Thank you for asking me to marry you,” he said, a yawn falling from his lips. 

“Thank you for saying yes,” Louis replied, leaning forward and grazing his lips against Harry's with a soft kiss. “Come on, you’re exhausted,” Louis said, standing up and pulling Harry with him. “Let’s get back to the room so we can get some sleep,” he said. 

Harry didn’t argue, helping Louis as he got to his feet. The two boys walked hand in hand back towards the hotel room, and almost as soon as they’re heads touched the pillows on the bed they were fast asleep. 

When they woke up the next morning, wrapped in each other’s arms, they were both as happy as could be. “Good morning,” Harry whispered, nudging his nose into Louis’ hair, inhaling the smell of strawberry shampoo. “Happy birthday,” he said. 

“Morning, Hazza,” Louis whispered, a smile on his face. 

“I have your gift,” Harry said, quickly getting out of bed and walking over to where he left his bag the night before. He pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box. “Here,” Harry said, passing it to Louis. 

Louis slowly unwrapped the paper, revealing a small box. When he opened it, he pulled out a long chain with a small engraved piece at the bottom. The engravement read ‘ with all of my heart. h. ‘ 

The necklace was perfect. It was simple, masculine even. The necklace screamed Louis’ name. 

“Thank you so much, Hazza, I love it,” he said, as Harry pulled Louis towards him and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. 

The two boys stayed in the hotel room, wrapped up in each other’s arms until it was time for checkout. After they carried their bags out of the front entrance and put them in their own cars, Harry pulled Louis aside. “Are you going to tell your mom?” he asked, playing with the ring that was on his finger. 

“I— Yeah, I think I’m going to tell her. And if you want to tell your family, you should too,” Louis said. “But we should wait until we get back to school to tell the guys,” Louis suggested.

“Yeah, I agree. It’s not something that we can just tell them over text,” Harry replied, a laugh leaving his lips. “I don’t want to leave you,” he said, holding Louis close to him. 

“We’ll see each other in a few weeks,” Louis reasoned, his voice quiet as his forehead rested against Harry’s. “And we’ll facetime every single night until school starts again,” he promised. 

“I love you, Lou. Be safe driving home, okay?” Harry said, finally pulling away. 

“I love you, too,” Louis replied. 

Both boys walked to their own cars, and before long, they were both back on the road towards their own houses. The roads were slick as Louis drove the distance back to his house, and about 40 minutes into his drive he got a text from Harry saying he was home safe. 

The rest of his drive went by smoothly, and by the time Louis was pulling into his driveway, he was both excited and terrified to tell his mother his news. 

He quickly carried his bags inside and threw them in his room before going to the kitchen to find his mom sitting at the table. “Happy birthday, Lou! How was your day with Harry?” she asked. 

“Thanks, mom. It was great,” he answered, a genuine smile on his face. “I actually have something to tell you,” he said, taking a seat across from her at the table. 

“What’s going on, Lou?” she asked.

“I love Harry. Mom, I love Harry so much that I don’t know how I could function without him,” Louis started. “I asked him to marry me, and he said yes,” Louis said, his heart beating fast as he dropped the news. 

“Lou—“ his mom began, but Louis cut her off.

“Mom, no. I love him so much. I’m in love with him, and I’m going to marry him. I’m an adult, remember?” Louis said. 

“Louis, you’re still so young. You still have so much life to live, baby boy. Are you sure you want to settle down? Are you sure you’re ready to give up a future?” she asked him. 

“Harry is my future,” Louis said, as if there had never been any truer words spoken before. 

“If that’s how you feel, Louis, I’ll respect that. You’re an adult, and if you and Harry are really in love, I believe that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to,” she said. 

Telling his mother went better than Louis expected it to. Telling their friends was a little bit more difficult. 

The second semester at Grand Ridge had started, and Harry, Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn were sitting around room 280. They had been talking about their holidays, about the upcoming soccer games, and about the undeniably large amount of homework they were bound to get. 

Harry’s ring was safely attached to a chain he wore around his neck, the ring part tucked under his t-shirt. He and Louis had decided it would be best to keep their engagement quiet in order to avoid judgment from people whose opinions didn’t matter to them. 

“We have something to tell you guys,” Harry said, breaking the comfortable silence they had fallen into. 

Three eyes were on them, so Louis began to speak. “I asked Harry to marry me,” Louis said, and at the same time, Harry pulled the ring from where it was hidden under his shirt. 

“You’re joking,” Zayn said, looking between the two boys in shock. “You guys are still in high school,” he said, shaking his head. 

“You guys are really young. I mean, we don’t even know where we’re going to be next year,” Niall pointed out. 

“You’re really planning on getting married?” Liam asked in shock. 

The three boys were talking over each other, and they only quieted when Louis started to speak again. 

“I don’t care where we’re at in a year. Wherever Harry wants to go, I’ll go. I’m in love with him, he’s in love with me. No one can convince us this is wrong. When two people are in love the way we are, nothing we do together can be wrong,” he said. 

“So your plan is just to follow Harry around?” Zayn asked. “Lou, you have a future, too,” he pointed out. 

“He is my future,” Louis said, and the room fell silent. 

“Well… If you guys are happy, I’m happy for you,” Niall said breaking the silence. 

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I’m happy for you guys,” Zayn said, although he obviously didn’t agree with their plans. Liam mumbled his own congratulations, still in shock by the news. 

“Thanks,” Louis said, leaning back against Harry. 

All they needed was each other. Even if no one else agreed that it was in their best interest, this was right. What they had was right. And no one could convince Louis otherwise.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

A few months had passed since Christmas break when Harry stormed into room 280, a huge smile on his face. Louis, Zayn, Niall, and Liam were already seated around the small dorm room. “Greenwood —Just gave this to me —Came in this morning,” he said, trying to catch his breath as he held up a letter. 

“Is it Columbia?” Louis asked, already on his feet, wanting to get a closer look at the letter in his fiancé’s hand. 

“No, I haven’t heard from Columbia yet,” Harry breathed out, slowly catching his breath. “It’s Princeton,” he explained. “I haven’t opened it yet.”

Four different versions of “open it” sounded throughout the room as the four boys reacted. 

Harry was quick to open the letter, and he began reading the words on the page out loud. 

“Dear Mr. Styles, I —I am sorry to inform you that we were not able to admit you to Princeton University this year… The admission process is difficult for students and families, and we realize that you are likely to be disappointed with our decision… We received applications from more than 30,000 students, most of whom were in the admissible range…” Harry read from the letter, disappointment obvious in his voice. 

Before he could go on, Niall had taken the letter out of his hands. “Princeton’s loss. They’re gonna be pissed when Columbia gets your curly head and you go on to be one of the most successful people in the world,” he said. 

“Yeah, Haz, don’t be upset. Princeton was just a backup choice anyways, and you still haven’t heard from Columbia. You’re bound to get a letter any day now, who cares if you didn’t get into Princeton. It’s like — barely even Ivy League,” Louis said, and even though it didn’t make any sense, he hoped it would make Harry feel better about being rejected. 

Zayn and Liam jumped in to offer words of encouragement as well, before Harry cut them off. “We have practice today, right? We should probably —go,” Harry finished, words drifting off. “I just have to go grab my stuff from my dorm. I’ll meet you guys there, don’t wait up,” he said, and quickly left the dorm before any of the boys could stop him. 

Once Harry had left the room, it was silent for only a few short moments before Liam spoke up. “I know Princeton was only his second choice, but still… Do you guys think he’ll be okay?” he asked. 

Niall scoffed. “Liam, you got your acceptance letter to Columbia last week. If he was going to get in, he’d know by now,” he said, shaking his head. “He’s Hazza, he’ll be fine. He’ll get in somewhere. It might be one of his backups, but he’ll get in,” he said. 

“That’s not necessarily true, Niall!” Zayn defended. “He could still hear back from Columbia, it isn’t too late,” he said. “Just because Liam already got his acceptance doesn’t mean no one else will,” he said. 

“Easy for you to say, Z, you’ve already been accepted and decided on NYU,” Louis pointed out. “You don’t have to worry about it anymore,” he said. 

“Harry will be fine,” Liam said. “He’s gonna get into a good school, but it doesn’t matter if it’s Columbia or somewhere else. He’s Harry Styles, he’ll be fine,” he added. “Now… Let’s just get to practice,” he finished, ultimately ending the conversation about Harry’s future. 

The four boys walked the short distance from the dorms to the soccer field. Before they could enter the locker room, their coach called out, “Tomlinson, over here for a minute.” 

Louis jogged over to meet his coach, expecting the older man to talk to him about something for the upcoming practice. “What’s up, coach?” Louis asked. 

“Tomorrow’s game, I have an old friend coming down. He’s part of the coaching staff at University of Virginia, and I’ve asked him to keep an eye on you. Your grades have been improving enough that I think that if you put on a good game, they might look into offering you a scholarship,” he said. 

Louis was so shocked that he couldn’t find any words to speak. 

“They’re a top soccer program, Tomlinson, and a damn good school. They’re losing a few of their best when they graduate this year, so they’ll be looking for some Freshmen to fill the roster. I really think you have it in you to play on a higher level, and this would set you up well,” his coach finished. 

“Are you serious?” Louis finally let out, shock evident in his voice. 

Over the past couple of months, Louis had made it clear that he didn’t have many plans for his future. That he was willing to go wherever Harry would go, so that they could plan a wedding and get married without a struggle. But this opportunity would not only open doors to higher education, but he could also live out a dream that he had held since he was a young child. 

“I’m serious,” his coach answered. “So be sure to play to your full potential tomorrow. I’ve hyped you up to my friend, don’t make me regret it,” he said, putting a hand on Louis’ shoulder. “This could be huge for you, kid, and I know you can do it,” he said. “Now go on, get changed, you have a practice to run.” 

After speaking to his coach, Louis jogged to the locker room and was met by Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Harry questioning what the coach had wanted to talk to Louis about, but he just shrugged off their questions. There was no reason to hide it from his friends, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to tell them. 

Practice went smoothly, and during scrimmages, Louis owned the field. He could see the look of pride on the face of his coach, and when the practice had come to a close, he didn’t miss the thumbs up that the coach sent his way. 

In the huddle, Louis spoke. “Okay guys, tomorrow is game day and this is one of the last regular season games for our Seniors. A lot of us will be gone after a couple of more games, so let’s make this count. We have the best record in the division, let's keep it that way,” he said. The other players agreed before breaking the huddle and going back to the locker room. 

The night was restless for Louis as he thought about what the next day would bring. As he thought about what would happen if he got into University of Virginia. 

Louis found himself on Google Maps, looking up the distance between the University of Virginia and Columbia University. Six hours. 

“Z, are you awake,” Louis called into the dark room. 

“I am now, dickhead,” Zayn mumbled, voice muffled as he obviously spoke into his pillow. 

“Coach has a scout coming from the University of Virginia tomorrow. He said he’s coming to watch me,” Louis finally admitted. 

Zayn, still half asleep, just mumbled words of encouragement in response. “That’s good, Lou, goodnight,” he said, and like that, the room went silent again. 

The rest of the night went by slowly before Louis fell into a restless sleep. 

The next day, Louis owned the field. Not only was he the top scorer, he played an impressive game defensively and led his team to victory. As soon as the game was over, before he could even get to the locker room, his coach was stopping him. 

“Louis, I have someone I’d like for you to meet. This is James, he’s the friend of mine from University of Virginia, the one I was telling you about,” the coach said. 

Louis reached out to shake the scouts hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said. 

“You as well,” the scout replied. “I really enjoyed watching you play today, Louis. You really showed the fine line between star player and team player, which is something we value in our athletes. While I can’t officially offer you a spot on the team until I’ve spoken with our admission staff…. I really hope that you will keep us in mind when you’re looking into colleges. We have a few scholarships up for grabs right now, and I wouldn’t count you out of being eligible.” 

“Thank you so much, sir,” Louis replied, shocked at the words coming from the scout. 

The three stood around for a few moments longer, the scout handing Louis his card before excusing himself from the conversation. Afterwards, Louis was quick to get to the locker room as he was bombarded with questions from his friends, who were the only people still in the locker room because they waited up for him. 

Louis explained, to the best of his ability, what had happened. 

“Tommo, that’s fucking awesome!” Niall exclaimed, pulling him into a hug, not caring that he had already showered while Louis was still a sweaty mess. 

The other boys all congratulated Louis, Harry giving him a short kiss. 

Louis almost didn’t notice what Harry was holding behind his back. “What is that, Hazza?” he asked, gesturing to whatever he was holding. 

“I was gonna open it, but — Lou, your news is huge. This can wait,” Harry said. 

“Is it Columbia?” Louis asked, almost ripping the letter from Harry’s hand. 

“Yeah, I just haven’t opened it yet,” Harry said, his voice slower than usual. 

“If you don’t open it, I will,” Niall said, and the others laughed. 

Harry slowly opened the letter, and as he read, a frown formed on his face. 

“Harry, I’m so—“ Liam began, but Harry cut him off. 

“I got in,” he said, shock evident as the words came out of his mouth. 

“You got in?” Zayn asked. 

“I got in,” Harry repeated, his frown quickly turning into a smile. “I’m going to Columbia!” he shouted, passing the letter to let his friends see. 

The night ended on a high note, but there were many words left unspoken. 

For the next few days, Harry and Louis didn’t talk about it. They didn’t talk about how this changed the plans they had set forward. 

A few days turned into a few weeks, and a few weeks turned into a month and three days. 

That’s when Louis got official word that he was being offered a scholarship to play soccer at University of Virginia. 

Harry and Louis were sitting in Harry’s dorm room, Louis running his fingers through Harry’s curls. The two had been silent for almost a full hour before Harry spoke up. 

“You have to take it, Louis,” he said, his voice soft. 

“I know. And you have to go to Columbia,” Louis replied. 

“I know,” Harry said. “It’s six hours.” 

“Six hours and two minutes,” Louis replied. 

It was quiet for several minutes. “We can’t get married right now, can we?” Harry asked. 

“We can’t,” Louis agreed. 

“So what do we do?” Harry asked, his voice sad. 

“We facetime every day, we text constantly… We visit each other on the weekends and holidays… We make it work, so that after graduation you can be a big shot businessman and I can be a big shot soccer player. We can get married and adopt cute babies, and be a rich and successful family,” Louis said, trying to put humor into the situation. 

“Long distance is hard Louis,” Harry said, a sad smile on his face. 

“We’ve dealt with harder.” 

Louis and Harry decided they would try. The following months came quickly, and before long, it was graduation day. Prom had passed, the state championship had been won ( with Louis leading his team to victory), their final classes had been attended. The five best friends had officially been given their diplomas, and they were being sent off into the real world. 

“I’m gonna miss you guys,” Niall said. 

“Niall what are you talking about? You’re like an hour away from these three assholes, you can see them every day if you want. And I’ll be in New York constantly,” Louis said, even though he had a sad smile on his face. 

“And we still have all summer,” Liam pointed out. 

“Yeah. All summer,” Harry agreed, throwing an arm around Louis’ shoulder as they heard a camera click. Louis looked over at Harry, smiling at the love of his life with the look of adoration in his eye. “All summer.”

Over the last three years, many things had changed. Louis had gone from not understanding love, from having friends just to fill the void, from drinking and smoking to ease the feeling of nothingness, to the idea of planning a future being a foreign concept to him. He’d gone from a scared teenager to a young adult who had learned that there is such a thing as love. He’d made lifelong friends with four people that he’d connected to on an emotional level, instead of just people to drink and smoke with. He was going to the University of Virginia on a soccer scholarship, with plans to marry the love of his life after college graduation. 

Louis knew there were struggles to come. He knew that long distance wouldn’t be easy. But with Liam, Zayn, Niall, and most importantly, Harry, by his side, he knew everything would turn out the way it was meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read strawberries and cigarettes. this was the first long writing project i’ve done in a while, and even though i got stuck from time to time, i’ve enjoyed every second of it. i want to give a huge shoutout to everyone in the barbie corden gc on twitter for keeping me invested in this fic and encouraging me to update. and a huge huge thank you to abbie ( flickeredhabit, who i’ll be writing my next fic color me free with!! ) for being the greatest editor and making the story readable. i hope you all liked this fic as much as i did. if you liked this story, i urge you to keep an eye out on my page because me and abbie will be releasing one shots in the strawberries and cigarettes universe from time to time!!


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